Honesty
by PepperjackCandy
Summary: Lex/Clark Established Relationship SLASH.
1. The Kidnapping

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 1, The Kidnapping  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive (http://smallville.slashdom.com/), my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: R _for this chapter only, for language_  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: First Time to Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net. 

Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, nor do I own any real estate in Chicago, much less the John Hancock Center, or any of the businesses or apartments located therein.   
  
Author's Note: While writing Chapter 3, I finally came up with an overarching title for this whole thing. I have a tendency to "fongsic" things, which, of course, is a songfic turned inside-out -- after I've written some of a story, the song that it fits occurs to me, and I title the fic accordingly. In this case, the title is an old Billy Joel tune, called "Honesty." If anyone can tell me where to find a good audio file (wav, real audio, whatever) of the song, please leave me a review telling me. Until then, you can find the lyrics here: http://home.allgaeu.org/anvogler/alben/52nd_street.htm#2

I live in Texas now, but I'm a Chicago girl born and bred, so I guess "Lex" has ulterior motives for choosing Chicago. ;-) Also, I used to work in the Sears Tower, so I'm "borrowing" their elevator system for the John Hancock Center. The John Hancock Center has a real restaurant on the 95th Floor called the Signature Room. I'm borrowing some things about the restaurant, but not others. And the apartments and swimming pool are very real. You can read all about them here: http://members.aol.com/earlrealtr/  
  
I've been a comic book reader since I was eight (which is longer ago than I really care to think about when writing about a show geared for teenagers) and have been loyally reading Superman comics since 1993 (the Return of Superman story arc won me over, for anyone curious about why 1993). I totally 'ship Clark/Lois in canon, but something about the Smallville Clark/Lex pairing just gets me, you know? Anyway, just wanted to let the nitpickers among us know that where I've diverged from DCU canon (and it'll be pretty darn obvious when you get there just where I've diverged), I'm fully aware of the fact.  
  
Finally, I don't normally use language like this in my writing, but since I'm starting post-coitally, which is also OOC for me, what the hell . . .   
  
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Stretching languorously, like a cat, Lex turned over and rested his chin on Clark's chest. "I've never done that before."  
  
"What? Seduced a sixteen year old virgin?" Clark laughed, only to notice that Lex didn't seem to share his laughter.   
  
"Actually, I was talking about the way you . . . reciprocated."   
  
"Why so tongue-tied, Lex? After what we just did, I figured . . ."  
  
"That I'd be able to perform a dispassionate post-mortem on it? Hardly." Lex laughed shortly. "It's just that my father's teachings were so deeply ingrained in me that I've never let myself be . . . taken like that."  
  
Suddenly, Clark was all concern. "Oh? Did I . . . I mean, was that . . . ?"  
  
"No, of course not, Clark. I wanted it. It was just a new experience for me. It felt . . . "  
  
"Natural." They both said simultaneously.  
  
Lex nodded, his chin digging harder into Clark's chest as he did so. "It's the damnedest thing I've ever experienced. In a good way, of course."  
  
Lex pulled himself upwards in the bed they shared to kiss Clark quickly on the lips. "We'd better get you home, though." He said. "Your folks'll be wondering if I've kidnapped you. Not that I wouldn't love to kidnap you sometime," he added seductively.  
  
Clark felt himself begin to respond. "Oh, really?"   
  
"Yes." Kiss. "But that's." Kiss. "For another time." Long, lingering kiss. "Now go take a shower and put your clothes on."  
  
Lex watched his new lover stand and admired the view as he walked into the bathroom off the master bedroom, thinking that he could watch that body forever and never tire of it. But once Clark was safely tucked in the bathroom, and he could hear the shower running, Lex began the dispassionate post-mortem that Clark had seemed to expect him to have conducted while wrapped around Clark's warm body.  
  
_My father would just shit if he saw us together, like that. What was it dear old dad told me? Always be one who does the fucking, not the one who gets fucked?_ He thought of the now not-so-innocent farm boy in the shower and immediately felt warmth flow through his body and, strangely, his heart, as well. _And boy, am I ever fucked._  
  
Lex stood and began to clean up the detritus of their lovemaking - folding his clothes and placing them on his dresser, scooping up a bit of whipped cream and a half-eaten strawberry, picking up . . ."Fuck!"  
  
"What is it, Lex?"   
  
Lex jumped at the sound of Clark's voice. He turned and was greeted with the distinctly distracting sight of Clark with a towel wrapped around his hips. He couldn't help smiling as he said, "Always remember this, Clark. Never carry a condom around in your pocket for more than a couple of months. They don't age well." He held out the offending object, hopelessly split in two.   
  
"It broke, huh?" Clark asked. "Was that yours or mine?"   
  
Lex thought back through the haze of their evening of lovemaking. "Mine, I think. Let's see, after you were done, I . . ." He walked to the other side of the bed and picked up another discarded condom. "Here's yours." He said, his eyes twinkling as Clark began blushing furiously.  
  
Lex kissed the embarrassment away then turned stern again. "Go. Put your clothes on. I'll drive you home."   
  
Clark, sighing, did as his lover bade him.  
  
They continued meeting, sometimes to talk, sometimes to make love, most often for both. But their time together was always limited by the close proximity of the Kent farm, and Lex, remembering his earlier threat -- or perhaps promise -- decided to do something about it.  
  
One Friday in the early spring, as Clark came out of school, he was surprised to find Pete deeply engrossed in conversation with Lex. _No good can come of this._ Clark thought as he approached his best friend and his lover.  
  
All he heard of their conversation was Lex's "Thank you, Pete."   
  
And Pete's "No problem, Lex." In response.  
  
"What was that about?" Clark asked as he watched Pete walk towards the bus.   
  
"Get in the car. I'll tell you on the way there."  
  
"On the way where?"  
  
But all Clark got in response was a charming, enigmatic smile.  
  
Soon, they were in Lex's car, heading towards the outskirts of town as fast as Lex could drive. "Lex? Where are you taking me?" Clark asked.  
  
"Remember what I said, our first night together?"  
  
Clark thought back those weeks. "About the condom?"  
  
"No. About how much I'd love to kidnap you." Lex responded with a wicked grin.  
  
A momentary terror slammed through Clark's body. "You're kidnapping me?"  
  
His terror abated when Lex threw him a warm, flirtatious smile. "Only in the best possible way, of course." He pulled off the road and down a smaller, dirt path.   
  
"Where are you taking me?"   
  
But Lex was silent until they reached a barn that had been, apparently, turned into a makeshift hangar, judging from the small, two-seater airplane that was parked outside. As he pulled to a stop a safe distance from the plane, Lex grinned at him warmly and just before climbing out of the car, said one word. "Chicago."  
  
Clark climbed out of the car and followed him, spluttering. "Chicago? Are you nuts?"  
  
"Unless you don't want to spend the night on the town with me." Lex faux-pouted.  
  
"You know that's not it at all. But . . my parents . . .!" Suddenly, he put two and two together. "That's what you were talking to Pete about, isn't it?"  
  
Lex smiled. "You catch on quickly. He's covering for us. He'll call your folks and tell them that you're spending the night at his house "  
  
"What did you do? Pay him off?"  
  
"Of course not. But he knows that your parents wouldn't approve, even if this trip *is* vital to your European History grade."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Remember what you told me? Your paper? On France in the 1890s?"  
  
"Yeah? What about it?"  
  
"Well, I promise you, you'll be doing vital research for that paper. In addition to any other things we might get up to in the Windy City." Without another word, Lex headed for the plane, Clark hurrying to catch up.  
  
"So you've decided to join me, then?" Lex asked.  
  
"Lex. That was never in question. You know that." Clark admonished him gently.  
  
"I know. But I'm glad you know that, too." Lex pulled Clark to him for a kiss. "Did you know that I used to be afraid to fly?"  
  
Clark shook his head.   
  
"But that ended six months ago. When you pulled me from the river and saved my life. Now, I'm not afraid of anything."   
  
An hour later, their plane was spiraling towards a landing over Lake Michigan. Lex flawlessly landed the plane on a landing strip that bordered the lake. They stepped down from the plane and some faceless minion stepped forward to hangar it for them.  
  
"Afraid to fly, huh?" Clark asked with humor. "I'd love to see how you'd pilot that thing if you *weren't* afraid to fly."  
  
Lex shared Clark's laughter, kissing him again. "God, I love kissing you." He moaned into Clark's mouth. "And I'd give anything to be able to kiss you, whenever, wherever."  
  
Clark pulled back. "You would?" He asked in a flattered tone.  
  
They began to walk towards the terminal. "Of course I would. I . . ." Lex couldn't bring himself to follow that thought, too afraid of what he'd find there if he did. "can't get enough of you." He finished lamely. "Let's go. We've got dinner reservations."  
  
"Reservations? I'm still in my school clothes." He looked down at his t-shirt and faded jeans, then over at Lex's khakis and t-shirt. "At least your clothes are black. You can at least pass for dressed up."  
  
"Clark, Clark, Clark," Lex sighed. "You've got to learn that when you have enough money, you don't need to dress up to impress people. The cast of dead presidents in your pocket does that for you. But if you insist on changing, I'm sure my people can arrange something."   
  
At the mention of Lex's_people,_ Clark's tune changed. "All right. I'll go dressed like this." Clark knew that he'd played right into Lex's hands by the self-satisfied grin on his lover's face.  
  
"Shall we?" Lex asked as they exited the terminal, where a limousine waited by the curb.  
  
They climbed into the limo, which pulled away from the curb without any direction from Lex. Clark wondered just how much planning Lex had to do for this little kidnapping. Finally, as they headed north on Michigan Avenue, Clark spoke. "Why Chicago, Lex? Why not Metropolis?"  
  
Lex paused before answering. "Because my father owns Metropolis."  
  
Somehow, Clark knew there was more to it than that. "You're ashamed of . . . us?"  
  
"Of course not! Never, ever think that!"  
  
Clark, surprised by Lex's vehemence, said, softly. "All right. Sorry."   
  
Lex smiled at Clark sadly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. But. . . this thing between my father and me is a . . . long-standing issue."   
  
He could tell that there were volumes that Lex didn't say, but Clark didn't push, hoping that Lex would share someday, of his own accord. Goodness knew there were enough things Clark was hiding from Lex.  
  
They rode on in silence, Clark admiring the buildings and pricey shops of North Michigan Avenue, until the limo pulled to a stop in front of the John Hancock Center. "This is our first stop." Lex said with a smile as the driver came around to open the door for them.  
  
"Our *first* stop?"  
  
Lex grinned at Clark's surprise. "Well, we can't research your term paper on an empty stomach, can we?"  
  
They stepped out onto the sidewalk, and Lex shamelessly took Clark's hand, leading his young lover into the skyscraper.   
  
"I haven't been to Chicago in years, you know." Clark said as they approached the first bank of elevators.   
  
Lex looked crestfallen. "I should have known that your folks would have taken you to Chicago before."  
  
"Don't worry about it. My dad brought us here to see an old friend play football. He's with the Bears. Somehow I don't think a football game is on your agenda."  
  
"I suspect you might be right on that score." Lex pressed the button for the elevator. Once the doors opened, they stepped inside.   
  
"Why are there only three buttons in this elevator?" Clark asked.   
  
Lex smiled. "It's an express. Once we get up to 66, we'll switch to a local elevator."  
  
The doors slid shut and the elevator began accelerating up the shaft. Lex pulled Clark to him for a kiss. "You know," he said, as he broke the kiss, "if no one gets on at 33, we'll have the elevator to ourselves for a whole five minutes."  
  
It was two minutes short of the old kissing game, but it was enough to tide them over.   
  
The elevators opened on the 66th floor, and Lex led Clark to a second bank of elevators, where one door stood open. They climbed in and Lex pushed the button for the 95th floor. After another comparatively brief elevator ride, the elevator let them out in a restaurant totally unlike any Clark had ever been to before.  
  
It wasn't odd, or unusual in any way, other than its unmistakable expensiveness. "Lex, are they going to charge me for the air I breathe in here?" He asked self-consciously.  
  
Lex smiled at him. "Don't worry. You're with me. I've got . . . friends." He emphasized this last word curiously.  
  
"What? You in with the Mob or something?"  
  
"You've been watching too many movies, Clark." Lex responded with wry humor.  
  
"Good evening, Mr. Luthor. Your table is ready." The maitre'd said as they reached his stand. He led them to a table by the westward-facing windows, affording them a view of the city skyline as the sun set behind it.  
  
"I thought you'd like this view better than the eastward one. All you can see over there is the lake." Lex smiled at him. "And at lunch, you can see a beautiful view of the steel mills in Indiana from the south windows."  
  
"Sounds charming." Clark said dubiously, hoping his lover was joking.  
  
They sat and Clark opened his menu. "I don't have the faintest idea what half of this stuff is." He said as he scanned the menu.   
  
"Well, first, what are you in the mood for? Red meat? Poultry? Fish?"  
  
Clark could handle that level of questioning. "Um . . . red meat. Beef."   
  
"There. That wasn't so bad." Lex smiled at him. "In that case, I'd suggest the veal."  
  
"Veal." Clark nodded. He knew where veal came from, of course. Nice, safe, "er, Lex?"   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What's salsify?"  
  
"It's a root vegetable. Like a carrot. That tastes like an oyster."  
  
"Oh." Clark had trouble wrapping his brain around that one. "I guess I'll try the veal, then."  
  
"You won't be disappointed."   
  
They placed their orders, and Lex, over Clark's objections, ordered a bottle of wine for them to split.   
  
"But Lex, I'm only . . ."  
  
"Are you driving tonight?" Lex asked.   
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Then why're you so worried? Here, have just a little sip." He poured a splash in the bottom of Clark's glass. "If you don't like it, you can get a Coke or whatever."  
  
"Pepsi." Clark corrected quietly as he sipped the wine. "Mm. That's really good."   
  
"So? Will you share this bottle of wine with me?"  
  
Clark rolled his eyes humorously. "Yeah. You win."  
  
"I almost always do." Lex's gray eyes twinkled at him as he filled Clark's glass.  
  
Clark heard a baritone voice behind him, then. "Lex."   
  
"Bruce! Great to see you again!" Lex stood to shake hands with the man, whom Clark still couldn't see.   
  
"Bruce, this is Clark Kent." Clark turned in his seat and found himself gazing up at a young man about Lex's age, with wavy brown hair and a firm jaw.  
  
"Clark, this is Bruce Wayne, of Wayne Enterprises."  
  
It took his strongest force of will for Clark's jaw not to drop as he realized that the two young men chatting so amiably together could buy the entire state of Kansas, with enough left over for Missouri and Iowa.  
  
"You in town long?" Bruce asked. "Or are you returning to . . . where was it, again?"  
  
"Smallville, Kansas. We're just in town for the one night. Have to get back to the fertilizer plant."  
  
"Oh. Because I'm having a little get-together at my place in Lake Forest. . . ."  
  
"Sorry, Bruce, but we're going to be . . . busy tonight."   
  
"Oh?" Bruce sounded intrigued. "Well, then have a . . . nice evening. Perhaps we can get together over the summer sometime. It was good to meet you, Mr. Kent."  
  
Clark managed to choke out, "Likewise, Mr. Wayne."   
  
Bruce returned to the buxom blonde he was dining with, and once he was safely away from the table, Clark leaned towards Lex. "Lex! You didn't tell me that you knew Bruce Wayne!"  
  
"Oh? Didn't I?" Lex joked. "Actually, I did. You just weren't paying attention."  
  
"When?"  
  
"When I told you that I have friends in Chicago. Come on, Clark! Of course I meant Bruce Wayne. He owns Chicago just as surely as my father owns Metropolis."  
  
"Why do I think there's a connection there you're not telling me about?"  
  
"All in good time, my dear Clark. All in good time."  
  
They sat, watching the night over Chicago deepen as they ate their dinner, then their dessert. Finally, the meal concluded, Lex handed his credit card to the waiter, and signed a bill for what must have been an obscene amount of money.  
  
"You ready for our next stop?" Lex asked as he nodded across the room at Bruce Wayne.   
  
"Sure. Where's that?"  
  
Lex winked. "You'll find out when we get there."  
  
The ride back down the ninety-five stories to the ground wasn't nearly as passionate as their ride up had been, since Clark plied Lex with questions about Bruce Wayne.  
  
"So, what's up with you and him? He an old boyfriend or something?"   
  
A cloud crossed Lex's face. "No. Just a friend. We went to prep school together."  
  
"Oh. So why all the secrecy, then?"  
  
Lex sighed. "I run here when I don't want my father to know what I'm doing, see? Chicagoans are very loyal to Bruce. They don't rat on Bruce's friends."  
  
"So you don't want your father to know about us?"  
  
Lex winced at the hurt tone in Clark's voice. "It's not that simple, Clark. Really, I'll tell you. I promise. Just not tonight. Let's just let tonight be about tonight. About us, all right?"  
  
Clark couldn't deny something that Lex so clearly wanted so desperately. "All right." He said, relaxing when Lex favored him with one of his dazzling smiles.  
  
The elevator released them on the ground floor, and they walked out onto the Michigan Avenue side of the building. "This way," Lex indicated the southward direction, taking Clark's hand in his.  
  
The early spring evening still carried a bit of winter's bite, but their walk was pleasant enough, past the Water Tower, over the Michigan Avenue Bridge, until finally they came to a stop in front of the Art Institute.  
  
"Here we are."  
  
"What's this? The art museum?" Clark was confused.  
  
"I promised we'd work on your paper, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, if you want to do a paper on France in the 1890s, what better way than to meet some people who lived in France then? Or one person, in particular." Lex wiggled his eyebrows at Clark. "This museum has one of the best collections of paintings by Claude Monet outside of France. And tonight, we don't have to share old Claude, or Marc Chagall, or any of the other artists here, with anyone else but each other."  
  
He led Clark up the steps and in through the front door.   
  
"They left the doors unlocked?" Clark asked.  
  
Lex shook his head. "No. They knew we were coming. They'll lock them behind us once we're in the museum."   
  
"I've always thought that art museums were quiet, but . . ." Clark stopped speaking as his voice echoed through the stillness of the gallery.  
  
"Thrilling, isn't it?" Lex asked. "I've always wanted to collect fine art, but," he shrugged, "I don't have enough people in my home to justify it. I much prefer it this way."  
  
"You've done this before?"  
  
"Once or twice."  
  
"With . . .?" Clark forced himself to choke back the jealous question he was about to ask.  
  
Lex, hearing the unspoken question clearly, turned and pulled Clark down to him for a firm kiss. "No. By myself. For my own term papers." He grinned and released his lover.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I'm older than you, more . . . experienced. It's fair that you know whether I treat all of my wide array of past lovers this way, and I want you to know that I don't. You're special, Clark, and you're just going to have to learn to live with it." He kissed Clark again.  
  
"Special, huh?" Clark asked.  
  
"Unique." Lex confirmed with a sort nod and a dazzling smile. "And all the more precious because you don't realize it."  
  
Lex's use of the word brought on unbidden thoughts. _Oh, I know I'm unique._ Clark thought. _Who else single-handedly destroyed a small town, killed a friend's parents, damaged the boy destined to become the man he loves?_  
  
"Now you're quiet. What's the matter, Clark?"  
  
Clark shook his head as if to clear it. "Nothing." He said with a wan smile, forestalling further questions by drawing Lex to him for another kiss.  
  
They continued walking the museum, hand-in-hand, Lex pointing out some of his favorites, Clark asking about others. They got into a very spirited argument in the modern and contemporary art gallery about what constitutes art - Clark arguing that some of the more abstract works showed little actual talent, Lex arguing that since *he* wouldn't be capable of even the most minimalist of works, he held any and all works of art in awe.  
  
They finally had to agree that they'd never see eye-to-eye on the issue and left the modern and contemporary gallery, taking refuge back on the lower floors among the Asian artwork.  
  
They wandered through Chinese artwork, and Japanese artwork, Clark finally coming to a complete halt in front of an unassuming piece of Indian artwork purporting to be one of the Hindu gods "in ecstatic union" with a concubine. Clark looked at it closely, blushing when he realized that it truly was a statue of a god having sex with . . . someone.  
  
"They take their sexuality very seriously in India." Lex told him solemnly. Then, adding with a wicked grin. "Come on, I'll show you something *really* arousing."  
  
They walked, once again hand-in-hand, through the building, finally arriving at a lobby of some sort. "This is arousing?" Clark asked.  
  
"No. This is." Lex opened one of the doors off the lobby, and led Clark inside. It was a perfectly serviceable room, with tall, floor-to-ceiling windows covered with blinds. Blackboards dominated the front of the room.   
  
Clark wasn't sure what to say. "Er, well, I guess if you," he tilted his head to one side, hoping that he just was looking at the room the wrong way.   
  
"It's the old Chicago Stock Exchange trading room? Isn't that sexy? No? I guess you have to be a Luthor to get worked up over something like this." Lex gave Clark a flirtatious smile.  
  
Clark smiled back. "I guess you probably would. Why is the old Chicago Stock Exchange trading room in an art museum?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "Dunno. It's just always been here, so far as I know. The entrance of the building's outside. We can look at it in the morning. It's pretty cool, if you like architecture and things. Actually, all of Chicago's pretty good for that sort of thing."  
  
"You'll have to share it with me, then." Clark gave Lex a winsome smile as he walked closer. "Now, this," He kissed Lex passionately, "I think we'd both find sexy."   
  
Lex's only response was, "Mmmm," as he gave himself up to his lover's kiss.  
  
An hour later, they lay entwined on the floor of the trading room, still mostly-clothed. "You're right." Clark admitted as he looked around half-heartedly for his t-shirt. "This is a very arousing room. Or is it the company I keep?"  
  
"I can't think right now. Call back later once my brain's working again." Lex said, kissing Clark again. "But I think we've about done the museum thing. I've got one last thing to show you." He stood and unobtrusively called someone on his cell phone. "It's time." He said shortly, then hung up.  
  
"Time for what?" Clark asked.  
  
"Time to get out of here, so I can share my one last secret with you."  
  
Clark had the feeling that Lex had more than this one secret to share, but nodded. "Whatever you want. This is your show."  
  
"Come on."   
  
Lex and Clark walked, together, back to Michigan Avenue, and headed north again. They stopped at the Michigan Avenue Bridge, and Lex leaned on the railing. "This is one of my favorite places in the city." He said. "I can just stand here for hours."  
  
"It smells kind of weird, doesn't it?" Clark asked.  
  
Lex shrugged. "Pity it's not daytime. You can see the lovely green color of the river - even when it's not St. Patrick's Day." He grinned.   
  
"Did you know this is the first double-leaf, double-deck trunnion bascule bridge ever built?" He continued.  
  
"Is that good?" Clark asked.  
  
"It's historical. Basically, it means that there's two levels of traffic, the cars up here, and," he walked to the center of the bridge, and pointed to the crack at their feet, "more cars down there, and it opens up in the middle when a tall boat comes up the river."  
  
"Ah."   
  
"Let's go." Lex took Clark's hand again and they kept walking.   
  
Finally, they arrived back at the John Hancock Center. "Well, here we are."   
  
"We've already been here, Lex."  
  
"Ah. But you haven't seen what I want to show you yet." He led his lover into the building through a different door. This time, the express elevator went directly to the 44th floor. "If I ever disappear without warning, I want you to know where I am."  
  
"Where will you be?"  
  
Lex smiled at him. "A little place I keep here. I don't feel like paying top dollar for something that's empty so often, so it's on one of the lower floors."  
  
"Lower than what?"  
  
"It's on the 46th floor. Only the second floor of apartments." He shrugged. "But it's convenient to the swimming pool."  
  
Clark's jaw dropped. "Swimming pool?"  
  
Lex winked. "Thought that'd get you."  
  
Lex's Chicago apartment was every bit as lavish as Clark had expected. But Lex, with his charming personality, soon had Clark comfortable on the couch, watching television. "This is the other reason I requested a westward view at dinner." He pointed towards the window that dominated one wall of the living area. "You'll be treated to the best view of Lake Michigan in the morning."  
  
"Your bedroom faces east?"  
  
"The whole apartment faces east, Clark."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"In fact, you see that red light out there?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That's a lighthouse. Maybe this summer, we can come back, and we can go out on the lake."  
  
"I'd like that, Lex."  
  
"So would I, Clark. So would I."


	2. Restoration

Title: Restoration  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "The Kidnapping"   
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Minor spoilerette for X-Ray   
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics, nor do I own any real estate in Chicago, much less the John Hancock Center, or any of the businesses or apartments located therein. I guess I should add that I have nothing against the DVD Consortium or the DVD Forum, either -- they're just a convenient plot device.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
Author's Note: DVD history comes from DVD Demystified  
  
About the title, well, I was looking for a word that encompassed both Lex returning Clark to Smallville, and, well, the revelation of Lex later on.  
  
================  
  
Clark felt so warm, and so comfortable, that at first he thought he was at home in his own bed. But the sunrise never shone so brightly into his own bedroom, and as he gazed at the blank white wall at the foot of the bed, he realized where he was and finally focused on the warm body next to him, wrapped around him. His love. His lover. Lex.  
  
He turned on his side and rested his head on his hand, watching Lex sleep. Lex, his mature, sophisticated lover, who looked so . . . innocent in sleep. Almost like he was still the nine-year-old child that Clark wished he could remember from what had come so close to being their first meeting. Clark reached out a hand and touched Lex's face gently.  
  
Lex's eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to focus. "Morning." He said, smiling gently.  
  
"Good morning." Clark responded, never breaking eye contact.   
  
Lex lifted his head to Clark's, pushing Clark's head down to his pillow with gentle kisses. "Mmm." Lex said, lifting his head finally. "So, what do you think?" He moved to rest his chin on his crossed forearms as he indicated the panoramic view out the window that acted as headboard.  
  
Clark mirrored his lover's position. "Wow. I see what you mean about the view. The lake, it just keeps going forever, doesn't it?"  
  
"Looks that way." Lex grinned. "But actually, it's not all that big. Indiana's just down there," he pointed southeast, "and Michigan's up there." He pointed northeast.  
  
"And what's that way?" Clark pointed due north.  
  
"Wisconsin. You didn't pay attention much in geography, did you?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "I know where Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado and Oklahoma are in relation to Kansas."  
  
Lex sighed. "We've *got* to do something about that. I'll have to spirit you away from Smallville more often. We'll go to New York. You'll love New York, especially at Christmas. Though Chicago's nice that time of year, too. And Door County, that's in Wisconsin. And . . . oh, all sorts of places -- Miami, Los Angeles . . ."  
  
"Lex," Clark interrupted. "Do you think we'll ever really go those places?"  
  
"Of course we will. We just have to wait until you're on your own, so your folks don't have me arrested for kidnapping, or contributing to the delinquency of a minor, or something."   
  
"What about your dad? Won't he object?"  
  
Lex's face darkened. "Yeah. He will. But let's not talk about that right now. There are better times than this to talk about my relationship with my father."   
  
They lay there in silence, watching the sun rise over the lake. Finally, Lex kissed Clark's bare shoulder. "We should get going. It may be Saturday, but there's no rest for the wicked, as they say."  
  
Clark gave Lex a smile that brightened the room even more than the rising sun outside did. "I know you're wicked, and I wouldn't have you any other way."  
  
They kissed, and Lex pulled away reluctantly, standing and kicking off his boxers. "I've got to get you home, too. I'm sure that you have . . . farm chores or something like that to do."  
  
Clark paused for a moment to appreciate his lover's naked body. "Yeah. There's always plenty to do on the farm."  
  
"Join me in the shower? Purely in the interest of saving time, of course. One shower takes so much less time than two and all."   
  
Wordlessly, Clark stood and took off his own underpants, then joined Lex as they walked into the master bathroom together.  
  
Once Lex had flown him back to Smallville, and dropped him back off at the farm, Clark set immediately to work, so that when his father saw him, he said, "How long've you been back, son?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "A while," he answered noncommitally.  
  
"So, did you and Pete have a nice time?"  
  
"Yeah. We did the usual. Hung out, watched some movies." He was already tired of lying to his dad, but knew that Jonathan would burst a blood vessel if he knew that his only son had just returned from taking a shower with Lex Luthor in his pricey John Hancock Center apartment in Chicago.  
  
"Did some homework?" Jonathan asked hopefully.  
  
This he could actually answer truthfully. "Yes, Dad. I got some work done on my history term paper."  
  
Jonathan looked surprised. "Well, good for you, son."   
  
Clark breathed a sigh of relief when his father headed back towards the barn.  
  
He was buried in his chores when he heard another familiar voice intrude. "Clark."  
  
He looked up with a smile. "Pete! Hey! Thanks for covering for Lex and me last night."  
  
"No problem. Clark, let me ask you something."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you and Lex . . ." Uncertain how to phrase the question, Pete left it like that.  
  
Clark blushed at the question, but couldn't lie to his friend. "Um, yeah."  
  
"So you're, like, gay?"  
  
"Er, bi, actually. I think. I mean, I still like girls and all, you know?"  
  
"Do you . . . like me that way?"  
  
Clark smiled reassuringly. "No, of course not. You're my best friend, but nothing more."  
  
"Oh." Pete nodded. Then, as an afterthought, added, "Why not?"  
  
This time Clark laughed outright. "I don't know. Why don't you think of Chloe that way?"  
  
Pete shrugged. "I just don't."  
  
"Well, there's your answer."   
  
After he finished his chores, Clark climbed into the loft of the barn and took out the lead casket that he'd held onto since Lex had given it to him with Lana's necklace in it. Then he removed the object from his right-hand jeans pocket, as he remembered that morning, when Lex had given it to him.  
  
They had just been about to leave his John Hancock Center apartment, when Lex stopped to unlock a safe behind a picture in his living room.   
  
"Let's see if this works." He'd told Clark, as he walked to the front door, using a key to lock and unlock the door.   
  
He had locked the safe again and handed the key to Clark. "Here's a copy of the key to this apartment. If you ever need to get away from your folks, hide from the law, anything, you can come here." He had said matter-of-factly.   
  
Clark had been stunned by the offer, and had taken the key in numb fingers. "Thank you, Lex."   
  
"No problem. This place stays empty so much, it'll be nice to know that someone else will have use of it occasionally." Lex had shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
Clark looked down at the key, feeling its weight in his hand, both physically and metaphorically. _Exchanging keys is almost . . . a commitment._ One part of his brain told him. _Right. A commitment. Dream on, Kent. This is his disused apartment in Chicago. Now, if he offered you a key to Luthor Manor . . ._ He stopped that thought before it even began.  
  
"Clark?" His mother's voice came up the ladder. "You up there?"  
  
Clark hastily threw the key into the casket and stashed the casket away. "Yeah. I'm up here." He responded, hoping his voice didn't crack.  
  
Martha ascended the ladder. "What's wrong, son?" She asked once she'd reached the loft.  
  
"Nothing." He responded hastily. "Why?"  
  
She walked over to where he sat and ran a motherly hand through his hair, bringing her palm to rest against his cheek. "You've just been so distant for the past few weeks."  
  
He shrugged. "I'm a teenager. We do that." He said with wry humor.  
  
She laughed. "I guess you do. Well, lunch is on. You want to come and eat, or stay here and be distant?"  
  
He laughed, as well. "I'll come." He said, standing and following his mother down the ladder.  
  
She took his hand in hers as they walked back to the house. "Is it . . . girl trouble?" She asked earnestly. "Because if it is . . ."  
  
_How can I tell her? How could I ever look her in the eye again, if she knew that for the past month and a half, Lex Luthor and I have been lovers?_ Clark wondered silently. "No, Ma. It's not girl trouble. It's just, you know, stuff."  
  
"All right. Is it something you can talk to Pete and Chloe about at least?"  
  
Clark nodded, grateful that Pete was in on the secret. "Yeah. I have been talking to them about it." He assured her.  
  
That seemed to satisfy his mother. "Good." She nodded. "Just as long as you have someone you can talk to."  
  
That night, after his parents were in bed, Clark slipped out of the house and headed for Lex's mansion. He no longer needed to sneak in, but still slipped through the bars of the gate out of force of habit. He tried the doorknob, which was unlocked, and walked into the castle. "Lex?" He called out.  
  
"In here." He heard his lover's voice respond flatly.  
  
He followed the sound of Lex's voice to a room he'd never been in before, with a state-of-the-art home theater taking up one wall. "So this stuff finally made it here from Metropolis?" He asked by way of conversation.  
  
Lex looked at him flatly. "No, Clark. This has always been here."  
  
"Then why don't you use it?"   
  
"Come here and sit down." Lex did not sound like himself.  
  
Clark did as his lover bade, and watched Lex rub the side of his head, like he had a headache.  
  
"Are you all right?" He asked.  
  
"No, Clark, I'm not all right. I need to talk to you about something."   
  
He shifted his position to face Clark, taking both of Clark's hands in his. "I've been . . . well, not exactly lying to you, but . . ."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Lex sighed. "For the last seven months, I've been investigating you."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
"I *know* I hit you with my car, Clark. Argue all you want about it, but physics doesn't lie. The dents in my car, well, aside from the ones made by the guardrails, are completely consistent with an impact with a human body."  
  
"Lex - I - "  
  
"Not only that, but there's a hole in my windshield where your head hit it." Lex concluded.  
  
Clark, unsure what to say, didn't say anything. He just looked at Lex for a minute, then turned his head so he was staring at his feet.  
  
"But there's a reason for me to investigate you, Clark. A good one."  
  
Clark snorted.  
  
"I'm being as honest with you as I can."   
  
Clark turned his head and had to steel himself against the raw sincerity in Lex's eyes. "What 'good reason' do you have?" He asked.  
  
"I . . . I think. No. I *know* that I love you."  
  
These were the last words Clark expected to hear. "You . . ."  
  
"I've only loved four people in my life, Clark. My mother, my sister, you. . . and one other."  
  
He stood and began pacing the floor. "What do you know about DVDs, Clark?"  
  
"Not much. They release movies on them, with extras, like commentary from the director and things . . ."  
  
Lex sighed. "Have you ever heard the story that they were invented by a consortium of ten companies settling a dispute over development of a non-degrading optical medium . . . " His voice faded. "None of this means anything to you, does it?"  
  
Clark shook his head. "No."  
  
"Well, it's all a lie. A PR spin developed by Luthor Corp to cover up another of my daddy's dirty little secrets."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
Lex's pacing had taken him to a table, where he picked up a flat silver disk. He lightly tossed it to Clark, who caught it neatly. "You hold in your hands the first DVD ever made. Don't look so impressed, Clark."   
  
Clark, who had indeed begun to look impressed, forced his features back to interest in what Lex was saying.   
  
"What do the initials DVD stand for?" Lex asked.  
  
"Digital . . . Video . . . Disk?"   
  
Lex shrugged. "Could be. But in the original Luthor Corp project, they originally stood for Daniel Van Drunen. Have fun watching. It'll answer your questions." Then without looking back, Lex left the room and closed the door behind him.   
  
Clark weighed the disk in his hands, turning it, studying it, and finally he put it in the DVD player and turned the TV on.   
  
The home theater was every bit as exquisite as he'd expected it to be. It was just a pity the subject matter didn't match the quality of its medium. Clark watched as a car winding along a mountain road took a sharp turn relatively quickly, then suddenly spun out of control and plunged down the mountain. It didn't burst into flame like cars do in movies, which made it all the more obvious to Clark that what he'd watched was a real wreck, not Hollywood special effects.  
  
Numb, Clark turned the television off and stepped out into the hallway. Lex wasn't there.   
"Lex?" He called softly.   
  
There was no response, but with his heightened hearing, he could hear someone walking around outside - an agitated, pacing, scuffling sound. He took a chance and walked to the front door.  
  
There Lex was, walking back and forth, his breath coming from him in puffs in the early spring night as he paced. "So, did you enjoy it?" He asked without inflection.  
  
"Lex? What was that?"  
  
"Those were the last moments of the life of Daniel Van Drunen. My first love. Until you, my only love."  
  
Clark hurried to Lex, enfolding him in his arms. "My God, Lex. What happened?"  
  
"My dad. He developed an entire . . . an entire recording medium, just to be able to make a perfect, non-degrading recording of it, so I could watch Dan die."  
  
Clark's hold on Lex tightened. The only part of Clark's brain that was still functioning rationally hoped he wasn't hurting his lover. But he knew he wasn't when Lex burrowed further into Clark's embrace.   
  
"Now you know." Lex said, his eyes filled with unshed tears. "Why I had you investigated. The only reason I let myself fall for you, pursue this thing with you, was because of that investigation. I don't know why, I don't know how, but I know one thing. I won't lose you like I lost . . ." Lex's voice cracked as he finally broke down.  
  
Clark held Lex, feeling both lost and found at once. Suddenly, Lex was the child, and he was the adult, giving what comfort and security he could, until dawn broke. 


	3. Lunch with the Kents

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 3, Lunch with the Kents  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows Restoration   
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Another spoilerette, for Metamorphosis.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
A/N: I found it! For anyone who's unfamiliar with the song after which I've titled this story, you can hear about 30 seconds of "Honesty" at amazon.com. Search for the albums "52nd Street" or "The Essential Billy Joel" and click on the link that says "Honesty."  
  
=========  
  
The lightening sky overhead brought Lex back to reality. "Clark?" He asked, looking up at his lover. "I kept you out here all night."  
  
Clark smiled down at Lex. "You didn't keep me. I wanted to be here. It's what . . ." Suddenly, he decided to just go the direct route. "I love you." He finished simply.  
  
Lex's smile was radiant, like he'd just been given a wonderful gift. "I love you, too." Lex responded, with less hesitation than the first time he'd said those words to Clark. His smile grew brighter and they kissed, only there was little of the usual breathtaking passion in this kiss. Instead, it was simple, loving, filled with an unspoken pledge.  
  
"You've got to get to school." Lex said as they broke their kiss.  
  
"No I don't." Before Lex could argue with him about the value of his education, he followed that with, "It's Sunday."  
  
Lex blinked. "So it is. Well, I've got to get to work. No weekends off for me. But there's still some time for breakfast." He grinned. "I've been practicing."  
  
"On what?" Clark asked worriedly.  
  
"Scrambled eggs. I think I've got them this time."  
  
"This I've gotta see." Clark grinned as he and his lover walked back into the mansion.  
  
Some time later, Lex scooped some eggs onto a plate in front of Clark. Clark took a fork, poking hesitantly at the yellow mass. Then, he looked through them a little more intently, finally scooping some up and into his mouth. "Mm!" He said in surprise. "These really *are* good!"  
  
"I'm pleased you have such faith in my abilities." Lex deadpanned.  
  
Clark chuckled. "You know that's not it. I knew you could do it. I'm just surprised . . ."  
  
"What? I can handle it."  
  
"I'm surprised it took you so long. For a man with your talents in engineering and business, it took you an awfully long time to master a stove." Clark grinned to take the sting out of his words.  
  
"Laugh it up, farmboy. Next weekend, I'll take *you* out of *your* element and make you manage the plant. See how funny you find it then." Then Lex relented and kissed Clark, easing the tension between them.   
  
Lex dished up his own eggs, then, and tried them. "Yep. I definitely have the hang of scrambled eggs. I'm thinking of tackling french toast next."  
  
"Well, if this is any indication, I think you're going to have french toast in no time at all." Clark smiled at his lover. "Say, Lex?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"If you ever need to talk about . . . Dan, or anything, you know you can, right?"  
  
Lex smiled gently. "Thanks. But I just want to think about us right now."  
  
Clark nodded. "All right."  
  
"So, you up for seconds?"  
  
One more round of scrambled eggs, and Clark showing Lex how to make toast, later, Clark returned home, leaving Lex to prepare for his day at work.  
  
As he walked up the road towards the house, he heard his father's voice calling out to him. "Clark!"  
  
He looked around, and saw Jonathan standing over by the fence lining the road. "Hey, Dad." He greeted his father as he walked up to the fence.  
  
"Where're you coming back from? You missed breakfast."  
  
"Actually, I didn't." At his father's confused expression, he steeled himself and elaborated. "I ate at Lex's."  
  
Jonathan looked scornful, and Clark could see his father biting back a demand to know why Clark had gone to Lex's so early in the morning. But Jonathan's resolve crumbled far enough for him to ask, "So what did you have? Pastries hand-made by his personal French baker?"  
  
Clark repressed the fighting urge brought on by his father's contempt. "Scrambled eggs and toast." He answered with quiet intensity. "And Lex did the cooking."  
  
Then he abruptly turned from his father and walked away.  
  
"Clark!" Jonathan followed, then realizing that he couldn't make half the time on the soft earth that his son was making on the paved road, hopped the fence. "Son!" He ran to catch up with Clark, finally placing a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Please," he gasped, slightly out of breath, "stop."  
  
Clark spun around. "Why? So you can tell me how I'm wasting my time with Lex? I've put up with that for seven months now, Dad. It's starting to wear a little thin."  
  
"I just wanted to ask. Lex? Luthor? Cooked scrambled eggs?"  
  
Clark nodded, bracing himself for his father's scorn.  
  
Instead, Jonathan laughed. "Maybe there's some humanity in the guy yet."  
  
Clark flinched, memories of the video of Daniel Van Drunen's death resurfacing. "Dad, you just don't know. It's his father - *he's* inhuman."  
  
Before Jonathan could respond, Clark continued. "And you don't have to worry about that whole 'apple not falling far from the tree' thing, because I think that becoming another Lionel Luthor's the last thing Lex would want."  
  
"You aren't making any sense." Jonathan put a hand on his son's shoulder, pulling him closer. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I can't tell you what he did to Lex, Dad. You'll just have to trust me. It was . . . evil. That's the only word for it. Having people like me in his life is what Lex needs. Something to reassure him that not all people act like Lionel Luthor."   
  
For once, Jonathan Kent was speechless. "Well, you do what you think is best, son." Was all he could manage.  
  
Clark blinked at his father. "You mean it?"  
  
Jonathan nodded shortly. "If things are the way you think they are, then how can I encourage you to do what you can to help people but deny your right to help your friend."  
  
_Right. Friend. Friend and more than that._ Clark wanted to be honest with his father about the nature of his relationship with Lex, but he knew that as soon as he told his father that he and Lex were in love, this new respect for his judgment would go out the window. Right before Jonathan picked up the phone to have Lex arrested. Never mind that the age of consent in Kansas was 16.  
  
Instead, he smiled as warmly as he could. "Thanks, Dad."   
  
"No problem. Now get to your chores, before your mom starts asking uncomfortable questions about why you missed breakfast."  
  
The fence that lined the side of the farm that ran along Route 838 hadn't been replaced since Jonathan's own youth, and it was definitely showing its age, so replacing it was Clark's chore for the day. It should have been at least a week's worth of chores, but since hardly anyone ever drove Route 838, he was able to work at something resembling a normal speed for him.   
  
Able to work at that speed, that is, until he heard the rumble of a car coming down the rarely-traveled highway.  
  
It was Lex. He pulled to a stop alongside Clark. "Hey! I'm glad I found you out here. I was almost afraid I'd have to go up to the house and ask for you. Hop in for a sec, would you?"  
  
Clark suspected that Lex was going to drive off with him once he got into the car, and he really couldn't afford that, not when his father was just starting to trust him regarding Lex. "No, Lex, I'd better not."   
  
"Why not? I don't bite. Well, not anyplace that shows." Lex responded with a flirtatious smile.  
  
Clark stood his ground. "You join me out here and I'll tell you."   
  
Lex sighed peevishly. "Fine." He pulled his car to the side of the road and got out, joining Clark by the fence. He was wearing a black crew-neck shirt and black dress pants with a black leather jacket. He spread his arms out to the side. "There. Happy?"  
  
"Deliriously." Clark kissed him softly. "My dad's all right with me spending time with you now. I don't want to jeopardize it by disappearing in your car while I'm in the middle of chores."  
  
"Have aliens taken over his body or something?" Lex responded in disbelief.  
  
"I didn't give him any details, of course, but I told him . . . that I can promise that you have no interest in turning out like your father."  
  
"You've told him that thousands of times, Clark."  
  
"Yes, but . . ." Clark fumbled for words, "this time I had the memory of Dan behind me. I think it gave my words a weight that they'd lacked in the past." Clark paused, to see how this statement would go over. When Lex had no visible reaction, he asked, "So, what brings you out here in the middle of a working day, Lex?"  
  
"I couldn't concentrate. I decided that I really need to take you up on your offer to talk," he paused, "about Dan."  
  
Clark's eyes widened and he looked around. "Here?"   
  
"Well, since you wouldn't get in the car with me, then yes. Here." Then he gracefully folded himself into a seated position on the side of the road, looking as at home there as he did behind his desk.   
  
Clark sat as well, with less grace, taking Lex's hand in his, trying to will his love the strength to unburden himself.  
  
"What do you think is my father's primary motivation for everything he does?" Lex asked suddenly. "You can have three guesses."  
  
"Well, I doubt he needs any more money, fame or power," Clark reasoned aloud, then he paused to think of what someone with all of the money, fame and power he could want would need. "Hold on. Your dad moved that castle here because he could. The Luthor *family* ancestral home." He thought for a moment, then concluded, "the Luthor family name."  
  
Lex nodded. "Got it in one. You're brilliant as well as gorgeous." He kissed Clark. "And I think it's fairly easy to see that having his only son make a commitment to another man isn't necessarily the best way to . . . continue the family name."  
  
Lex lay back, looking up into the bright noonday sky. "He told me to break it off. I refused. He tried to buy Dan off. Dan wouldn't be bought. . . ."  
  
"So he killed him." Clark finished for him, flopping onto his stomach next to Lex. He ran one hand gently across Lex's scalp. "Oh, Lex. I'm so sorry."   
  
Lex shook his head sadly. "Don't be. It was a long time ago. Six years."  
  
"You were fifteen?"  
  
Lex nodded. "Dan and I went to prep school together."  
  
"With Bruce Wayne."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Must have been some prep school."  
  
"The most expensive one in the Midwest."  
  
Clark turned over on his side, resting his head on his hand.   
  
Lex continued, still staring up into the blue sky, "Well, after Dan's death, I was exclusively heterosexual. Of course, I wasn't in much of a hurry to make a commitment to any of the women I dated, either. I refused to date any woman that my father approved of, but since the possibility that I could accidentally continue the family name by knocking one up was always there, Dad just had to live with it." He grinned at the memory. "Lana and I met for the first time during that period."  
  
"Oh?"   
  
"She never told you about it?"  
  
Clark shook his head.   
  
"Ah. Well, it was the summer after Dan's death. I had decided to *show* my father by skinny-dipping with the kind of girl my father doesn't approve of. In my father's swimming pool. Well, my father invited Lana and Nell to our house and she walked in on us. When she reminded me of it, the term she used was 'teaching her the breaststroke.'"   
  
Clark had to fight back a bit of jealousy to let his mirth at the image of Lana walking in on Lex in that position through. "She definitely has never told me that story." He chuckled.  
  
Lex started laughing, too. "You should ask her sometime. She turned a delightful shade of pink when she recounted it."  
  
"I'll have to do that."   
  
They laughed for a minute, then, in the relative seclusion of the grassy patch along the rarely-traveled road.   
  
"Oh, God, Clark. I wish I could tell someone about us." Lex looked up at him.  
  
"Well, someone already knows."  
  
"What?!?"   
  
"Don't look at me. You're the one who hasn't been quite as subtle as you think you have."   
  
Lex sat up a little, resting his weight on his elbows. "What? What do you mean?" He said in a deadly-serious tone.  
  
"It's Pete. He sort of . . . picked up on what's going on between us."  
  
"You lied, right? Told him that nothing was going on?"  
  
"Of course not."  
  
Now Lex sat all the way up, pulling his knees almost to his chest and rubbing his hands over his head. "Clark . . ."  
  
Almost at superspeed, Clark was up and next to his lover, rubbing his shoulders consolingly. "Don't worry. Pete won't tell anyone. But he called me on it, and it just . . . wasn't something that I could lie about. "  
  
Lex gave Clark a wan smile. "Ever the Boy Scout."  
  
"You wouldn't have me any other way, and you know it."  
  
Lex's smile became genuine. "You're right. Even though I know you're going to give me an ulcer with this honor of yours one of these days."  
  
"Ah, but think of how many ulcers I'm preventing you from developing at the hands of the faceless minions." He kissed the back of Lex's neck.  
  
"Mmm. I guess you're right." He sighed.  
  
Clark went to sit next to him again.   
  
"You stopped!" Lex whined.  
  
"If my father catches me kissing the back of your neck out here, Pete knowing about us is going to be the least of our problems."  
  
"I guess." Lex admitted reluctantly.  
  
They sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the spring morning. Finally, Lex stood. "I'd better let you get back to," he gestured vaguely in the direction of the fence.  
  
"Replacing the fence." Clark offered as he stood.   
  
"Yeah, that. And I'd probably better get back to . . ."  
  
"The office?"  
  
Lex smiled. "Yeah."  
  
Lex stepped closer to Clark, his gaze slowly moving down from Clark's eyes to his lips. Clark's eyes closed in anticipation of his lover's kiss.  
  
"Clark? You out here?" It was Jonathan. "Your Mom told me to call you in for . . . . Oh, hi, Lex." He concluded flatly.  
  
Lex's and Clark's eyes met briefly and Clark had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing.   
  
"Mr. Kent." Lex said in a perfectly unruffled tone.  
  
Jonathan looked from his son to Lex and back. "You want to join us for lunch?"  
  
"No, really, Mr. Kent I have to get back to . . ."  
  
"Nonsense. Join us for lunch." Jonathan clapped Lex on the shoulder, guiding him towards path back to the house insistently.   
  
"All right, I guess I will then. You coming Clark?" Lex said smoothly as Jonathan dragged him away.  
  
"I'll be right along." Clark said as he began to stack up his tools. Suddenly, he saw a blur coming in his direction. He caught it easily. It was Lex's car keys  
  
He shot a confused look at Lex, who was being corralled towards the house by Jonathan's right arm on his right shoulder. Lex was half-turned in his direction, and he mimed using the remote to lock the car.  
  
Clark nodded and did as his lover asked. The car chirped happily as it locked.  
  
"What was that?" Jonathan asked, looking around.  
  
Lex and Clark shrugged, but didn't respond as Clark slipped the keys back into Lex's coat pocket and joined them for the walk back to the house.  
  
They came in through the kitchen door and Jonathan said with false cheerfulness, "Look who's decided to join us for lunch, Martha."  
  
Martha turned. "Mr. Luthor. How nice to have you." She looked from her son to her husband for an explanation.   
  
Jonathan wordlessly turned from the room and went to get cleaned up. Clark followed his father after one apologetic look at his lover, leaving Lex and Martha alone in the kitchen.  
  
"I was driving up Route 838 when I saw your son replacing your fence. I'd just stopped to speak to him when your husband invited me to lunch." He smiled warmly.  
  
"Oh." Martha summoned up a smile. "Well, welcome. Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"   
  
Lex moved towards the chair that Martha had indicated, but didn't sit down. "Is there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Kent?"  
  
Martha looked at Lex wide-eyed, like a deer in the headlights. "No. Thank you."  
  
"Oh. Then could you tell me where I could find a glass, please?"   
  
Without turning her back to Lex, Martha opened the appropriate cabinet.   
  
"Thanks." Lex said with a smile, taking one of the glasses and filling it from the faucet.  
  
Elsewhere, Jonathan and Clark were getting cleaned up for lunch.   
  
"So, what was Lex Luthor doing there, son?"   
  
"Well, he couldn't concentrate at work. You know, about the thing we'd talked about about Lionel, and so he came to talk to me."  
  
Jonathan nodded. He could tell when Clark was lying, and Clark was most definitely *not* lying. He might not be telling the whole truth, but it was the truth, so he let it go. Wordlessly, Jonathan dried his hands and headed back towards the kitchen.  
  
Clark, not wanting to leave Lex alone with his parents, hurried after his father.  
  
To his surprise, when he arrived back in the kitchen, Lex was sitting calmly in the usually-empty fourth seat at the table, sipping a glass of water, looking for all the world like that fourth chair had always been empty because it had been waiting for Lex.   
  
Jonathan took his seat at the table, and Clark asked, "Anything I can help you with, Mom?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. I have everything under control." She smiled as she placed a plate with a sandwich of leftover corned beef on rye, garnished with potato chips and a pickle, in front of her husband.  
  
Clark sat, while Martha served Lex. "I hope this is to your liking." She said hesitantly.  
  
As Martha put a plate down in front of Clark, Lex took a bite of his sandwich. "Mmm." He said with a smile. "Best corned-beef sandwich I've ever had outside of New York City."   
  
Martha, who'd taken her seat, smiled politely. "Thank you, Lex," her tone clearly indicating that she didn't entirely believe him.   
  
Clark dug into his sandwich, even though he wasn't particularly surprised by the corned beef, it was left over from the previous night's dinner, it was as good as Lex had said, but perhaps that was because he was eating it at a table with the three people he loved most in the world.   
  
Clark looked from Martha to Jonathan to Lex, knowing that Lex had only begun to reveal the secrets of his own life, but feeling that he owed Lex some of his own secrets in return. He chewed thoughtfully. Of course, Lex knew something of Clark's invulnerability, but that was something that Lex had pieced together on his own.   
  
Suddenly he realized that someone was talking to him. "What?" He said.  
  
"I was asking how long you've been working on the fence." Lex enunciated clearly.  
  
_This is it._ Clark thought. _My chance. I tell him that I've done all that work in one day, and then later once we're away from Mom and Dad, I'll tell him how I managed to do all that work in one day. That'll be a fair exchange of secrets. Superspeed for Dan's death._   
  
Then he looked at his mother and father and suddenly the words, "Not long. A couple of days," popped out of his mouth.  
  
Lex, who knew well where Clark had been all day Friday, frowned. "Oh, really?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, I started it Thursday after school," he babbled, "then worked on it yesterday and today." He swore at himself silently for failing to follow through on his plan to tell Lex the truth.   
  
"Oh." Lex smiled, accepting this explanation at face value.   
  
Clark felt like a heel.  
  
"So, Lex. You've been in Smallville for, what? Seven months now. Must be feeling like home by now." Martha said chipperly.  
  
Lex almost responded in his usual suave, charming way, but instead, Clark watched as he let the mask slip. "I've got to admit that I still get homesick sometimes, but some of the things I've found here, like Clark, make up for it." Then he gave Clark the smile that he had only seen when they were in private. Lex's real smile, warm and heartbreakingly sincere.   
  
Martha blinked and said, impulsively, "Well, you're welcome here anytime. In fact, we'd love to have you for dinner sometime."  
  
Jonathan cleared his throat. "Well, I'd better be getting back to work." He stood.  
  
Clark, stunned at his father's lack of argument, said, "I'll be right behind you Dad." He looked at Lex. "You coming, Lex?"  
  
"Do you need any help cleaning up, Mrs. Kent?" Lex asked.  
  
Martha looked around. "No, thank you Lex. It's just a few plates."  
  
"You sure?"   
  
"Yes, thank you." She smiled broadly as she stood.  
  
Lex stood as well. "And I'd love to take you up on your offer for dinner. Just name the date and tell me if I can bring anything."  
  
Martha said, "How about this coming Friday?"  
  
"Friday it is, then. I'm looking forward to it."  
  
Jonathan nodded. "Lex."  
  
"Mr. Kent." Lex said in a similarly level tone.  
  
After Jonathan had left the house, Clark and Lex followed, walking so close that their hands brushed occasionally. "That wasn't so bad." Lex said giving Clark that same warm smile.  
  
"Um, what was up with the car keys?" Clark asked.  
  
"Your dad was pushing me along so fast, I was out of range before I knew what had happened. And I figured that stopping and walking away from him to lock my fancy sports car wouldn't exactly endear me to him. Gotta do what I can to impress the future in-laws."  
  
Clark looked at Lex, smiling warmly. This had firmed his resolve to give Lex something of his own secrets. "Lex, there's something I need to tell you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, I haven't been working on the fence all that long, actually."   
  
"Oh, so you've been lying to me." Lex said in a sarcastic tone that clearly spoke volumes about Clark's intense honesty.  
  
"Um, actually I have."  
  
Lex stopped in his tracks. "You have?"  
  
"Yeah. I lie a lot. Not, like, to get away with stuff. It's just that I'm so used to hiding." He sighed. "You know that . . . durability . . . we talked about last night?"  
  
Lex nodded. "Yes."  
  
"Well, that's not all. I'm also holding back a lot. Physically."  
  
"Holding back?"   
  
"Yeah. The most obvious is, well, speed. My 'normal' speed is a lot faster than others'."  
  
Lex looked intrigued. "Really?"  
  
Clark nodded. They'd reached the fence by now, and Clark nailed the next board to its post at a speed that was a blur to Lex.   
  
"That's normal speed for me." He shrugged.  
  
Lex blinked, then took the hammer from Clark's hand, setting it on the ground gently. Then he took both of Clark's hands in his. "Thank you." He said sincerely, "But you don't have to do this."  
  
"Do what?" Clark was genuinely confused.  
  
"Trade me secret for secret. You're entitled to your secrets, Clark. I didn't tell you about Dan so that I could get something from it."  
  
"Get something from it? I never thought you'd . . ."  
  
Lex interrupted. "I told you because it was something I wanted you to know. Keep your secrets, Clark. Until they're something you *want* me to know."  
  
Lex cupped Clark's face gently between his hands and kissed him.  
  
"I love you, Lex." Clark sighed.  
  
"I love you, too, Farmboy. Now get back to work." Lex grinned at his lover before unlocking his car and driving away. 


	4. Introducing the 'B' Plot

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 4, Introducing the 'B' Plot  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Lunch with the Kents   
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Cool  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
=========  
  
After school on Monday, Clark and Pete walked into the Beanery. They took a seat in two of a set of four comfortable armchairs and waited for a waitress.   
  
"So, we expecting a visit from your better half?" Pete asked jokingly.  
  
Clark's eyes widened. "Pete!" He lowered his voice. "No. He works. You know that."  
  
Pete grinned, pleased that he'd been able to get a rise out of his friend. "Oh, he does, doesn't he? Especially now that he doesn't have to be 'around' just happening to bump into you."   
  
Clark sighed and rolled his eyes, then got to work on his studying.  
  
"Hi, guys." A quiet voice interrupted their studying.   
  
Clark looked up. "Lana!"   
  
"You have room for one more?"  
  
Pete and Clark looked at each other. "Sure."   
  
Lana took a seat in the third of the four chairs, across from Pete, and pulled out her math book.  
  
"Where's your other half?" Clark asked, unconsciously using the same words Pete had.  
  
Lana glared, but not at him. "We broke up."  
  
"What happened?" Clark asked, feeling a strange pang of . . . sympathy for Lana.  
  
"Oh. Well, he sort of wanted to . . . take things to the next level, but I wasn't ready for that." Lana blushed prettily.   
  
Clark realized that she had broken up with Whitney. Really and truly broken up with him. And in a way that sounded relatively permanent. He couldn't believe it. Now that he finally could dream of having the girl he'd so longed for, he didn't want her anymore. He wondered briefly if he was allowed to burst into laughter, or if that would only end with him being sent to the county hospital for observation.  
  
"I'll kill him." Pete mumbled, surprising Clark who looked at Pete, who was staring straight ahead at Lana. Lana appeared not to have heard, and Clark wished Pete the best, if he was going to pursue the beautiful brunette.  
  
The three sat and studied for an hour, until Chloe arrived. "Hey, guys!" She said. "Things are actually running on time this week, and . . . Lana."  
  
"Hey, Chloe." Lana said, smiling widely at Chloe.  
  
Chloe looked from Lana to Clark and back, clearly trying to size up the status of their relationship. Pete saw her expression and said, "Lana just decided to join us to study."  
  
Chloe nodded as she took the fourth seat in the square, across from Clark, and took out the novel she had to report on in English. "So, will Whitney be joining us?" She asked nonchalantly.  
  
Lana shook her head. "No. We broke up." She paused. "Why do I think I'm going to end up having to take out an ad in the Torch explaining why I've suddenly got only two legs instead of four?"  
  
Chloe simply blinked in astonishment. "You broke up? With Whitney?" She looked at Clark, who simply met her gaze and shrugged. Then she looked at Pete, who, dark complexion notwithstanding, certainly had the expression and body language of someone who was . . . blushing.  
  
"Clark, can you come over here, please?" Chloe asked as she walked to the front door and stepped outside.  
  
Clark joined Chloe on the front stoop of the store. "What is it?"  
  
"What is it?" She quoted his own question back to him. "Exactly my point. Is this, like, bizarro world or something? Have you even *thought* of asking Lana out?"  
  
"Well, no." Clark answered before he realized he should have lied.  
  
"What? Now I *am* worried. I'm thinking that all of this meteorite radiation has caused you some kind of permanent damage."  
  
Meanwhile, inside the Beanery, Lana asked, "Have you started your math homework yet?"  
  
Pete was so surprised, he looked around to see who she was talking to before he realized that she was talking to him, being the only other person around. "Um, no, actually. I was avoiding it." He admitted, embarrassed.  
  
Lana laughed in a way that erased Pete's embarrassment completely. "That's what I usually do. But I thought I'd try a different tactic. Maybe if I do the math thing first, when I'm fresh, it'll come easier."  
  
"And?"  
  
"It's not working. This stuff *still* doesn't make any sense." She threw her pencil down onto the table in front of her.   
  
Pete, hardly daring to believe he was doing this, reached into his own book bag. "Well, how about if we work on it together?" He asked. "Maybe together we can conquer this thing."   
  
Lana smiled up at him. "That'd be nice."  
  
Pete moved into the chair next to Lana, the one that had been vacated by Clark and opened his textbook. "Let's see . . ."  
  
Outside, Chloe and Clark were still talking. "You mean that Lana Lang no longer holds any attraction for you?"  
  
"Well, yeah, she's pretty, but I notice her that way the same way I notice you. You know, it's like 'Oh, she's a pretty girl,' not like 'I'd sell my soul for a date with her.'"  
  
"You think I'm pretty?"   
  
The question struck Clark. "Of course I do. It's only the truth. You *are* pretty, Chloe. Why else would Sean Kelvin have asked you for your phone number? Before he became a meteorite-induced mutant?" He added as if that made all of the difference in the world.  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me."  
  
"Well, it's true. If you weren't pretty, Sean never would have given you the time of day, right?"  
  
Chloe started to blush.  
  
"Right?" Clark pressed her to answer, looming over her.  
  
"Right. All right. I guess if he asked for my number, maybe he thought I was pretty, but you thinking that I'm pretty, well, that's completely different. I wasn't even sure you knew I was a girl."  
  
"Don't worry, Chloe. I'm completely aware that you're a girl. And someday we'll find you the right guy."  
  
Then, together, they walked back into the Beanery, to find Pete and Lana sitting next to each other, heads bent together over their math textbooks, deeply in conversation.   
  
"Definitely bizarro world." Chloe said.  
  
After their study session had ended, Lana went to meet Nell at the flower shop, and Chloe headed off towards her house. Pete was having dinner with the Kents, and so Pete and Clark walked home together.   
  
"I just can *not* believe it." Pete kept saying, or variations on the theme of, "Lana Lang and I did our math homework together."  
  
Clark, for once feeling the wiser one in matters of the heart, because he was in a committed, secure relationship, at least, he hoped that Lex was committed and they were secure . . . . _So much for feeling like I'm the wiser, more experienced one._ "Pete?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"How do you know that someone's, you know, the one?"  
  
"Do I look like Dear Abby to you? Look, I'll be lucky if I can hook up with Lana for an actual, planned, study date sometime. Now, if you're asking about Lex, I can tell you that from what I've seen, he's got it as bad for you as you have it for him. What that means is up to you to figure out. Maybe you should ask him."  
  
"Thanks, Pete." Clark smiled warmly. "And for what it's worth, I think you'd make a great advice columnist. Maybe we could hit Chloe up with the idea."  
  
"Hm, let's see, Freshman football player, warmed the bench all season, giving love advice? How do you say 'not' where you come from?"  
  
After dinner, Clark stopped Pete from leaving. "Say, Mom, Dad. Is it all right if I go over to Pete's house?"  
  
His parents sighed. "All right. But don't stay too late." Martha said after she and Jonathan had held a silent conference between them.  
  
"Don't worry. I won't. And I'm all caught up on my homework."  
  
Clark was careful not to let the door bang shut behind him as he left, hustling to catch up with Pete, who was already halfway down the path to the road.  
  
"Let me guess. I'm covering for your meetings with Lex again, right?"  
  
"Well, you *were* the one who told me how bad we have it for each other." Clark grinned.  
  
"I'm just not sure you should lie to your parents so much."  
  
Clark sighed. "I know. And I'll tell them, when the time's right. I'm just not sure when that'll be. You know, when *is* the right time for your barely-legal son to tell you that he has an over-drinking-age *male* lover?"  
  
"Mm. Good point. Well, have fun and be careful. Accidents cause people, you know." Pete grinned as they reached the place where their paths would diverge.  
  
"Ha, ha. Very funny. And good luck with Lana. She's a really nice girl who deserves a great guy like you."   
  
"Now you're gonna make me blush. Well, go and see Romeo, or Juliet, or whoever he is, then." When Clark didn't hurry on, he said in a firmer, yet still joking tone, "Go!"  
  
"'Night, Pete."  
  
Clark's trip to Lex's house brought to mind Lex's question about being able to fly from their second meeting. He knew he ran, but somehow, part of him felt like he was flying. Or perhaps that was just the anticipation of seeing Lex after a whole day without.  
  
As usual, he squeezed through the bars on the front gate - he'd long since stopped bending them back and forth, fearing they'd break under the strain - and began the walk towards the house. As he came closer, he saw something bright atop the castle. He strained to look, and realized that Lex was standing on the roof, giving him a curious half-smile.  
  
Clark was tempted to try to scale the outside wall of the building, _Wouldn't that shock the heck out of him?_ But instead, he decided to try the normal route.   
  
Provided he could find the stairs that led to the roof.  
  
Fortunately, Lex had taken care of that detail. When he stepped in the front door, a kind of rope, made from velvet, or chenille, or some other soft material that Clark was ashamed to know the name of, was stuck to the wall just inside the door.  
  
_Hm, so apparently, I'm to follow this rope._ Clark thought with amusement as he followed the rope up the stairs, and down a hallway, then up another flight of stairs.  
  
He was surprised the rope never doubled back on itself, because before it came to an abrupt stop in front of a closed door, Clark was completely, hopelessly, lost.  
  
He opened the door carefully, hoping not to find some new candidate for Chloe's 'Wall of Weird' lurking on the other side. "Lex?"  
  
"Out here."   
  
Clark followed his lover's voice and found him standing by the parapet that edged the roof. "Nice night out." Clark said conversationally, not sure where this was going.  
  
"Come over here." Lex said, and Clark couldn't help but be drawn towards his charismatic lover. When he reached Lex's side, they kissed.   
  
"You're right. It is a nice night out."   
  
Just then, Clark noticed a telescope next to Lex. "Stargazing?"  
  
"After a fashion." Lex kissed Clark quickly. "After all, what was it Shakespeare said, _it is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown although his height be taken_?"  
  
"But, Lex, he was talking about love."  
  
"So am I." Lex grinned.  
  
"You were watching me!" Clark was indignant, or possibly insulted, flattered, a little. And relieved that he had told Lex about his normal speed, but still worried, too. After all, If Lex could watch him without him knowing . . .  
  
"Yep. Nothing I'd rather watch. Especially tonight."  
  
"What's tonight?"  
  
Clark wasn't sure if Lex was really surprised, but the hurt in his tone seemed genuine enough. "You don't remember."  
  
"I'm sure I would, if you'd give me a hint or something."  
  
"We've been together for two months tonight."  
  
Clark knew this was wrong. He stopped. He did the math. Twice. "No, Lex. Our first time was only six weeks ago."  
  
"Right. That's the first time we made love. But we've been together . . . . All right, let's put it this way, if it were Lana Lang, instead of me." Clark winced at the bitterness with which Lex said Lana's name. "Would you be counting from when you took her virginity?"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"And what would you count from?"  
  
"I don't know." Clark shook his head futilely. "First date? But that would be, like October, maybe? November? Certainly not two months ago. Or the first kiss, maybe." Some part of his mind did the math on that one. "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry, Lex. It just never occurred to me that our first kiss was any kind of milestone for you. I mean, of course our first kiss was a big milestone for me. But I'm, you know, a kid. You're an adult."   
  
"Even for a jaded adult like me, a first kiss is still pretty thrilling, when it comes from the person you love."   
  
"I'm sorry. But I have good news for you. At least I hope it's good."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hear me out first. I promise by the time I finish it'll be good news."  
  
"All right . . ."  
  
"Lana and Whitney broke up." Clark could see Lex tense. "And when she told me, I felt . . . nothing. A little sad that a friend had been hurt, but other than that -- nothing. I almost burst out laughing right there in the middle of the Beanery."  
  
Lex said in a hesitant tone that showed how he hardly dared to believe it to be true. "Nothing?"  
  
"And," Clark walked over to Lex, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him full on the mouth. "I don't think that Lana will stay in the dating pool long."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Nope. Looks like one Pete Ross has his eye on Miss Lang. And from the way they were leaning towards each other in the Beanery, I think the interest may become, if it isn't already, mutual."  
  
"Oh, really?"   
  
This time, Lex kissed Clark, and somehow Clark could feel that any jealousy that Lex had felt over Lana had dissipated.   
  
After they came up for air, Lex led Clark to where he had a small picnic set up. "Champagne?" Clark asked, nervously. "I do have to go home to my parents, Lex."  
  
Lex lifted the bottle from the ice bucket and showed the label to Clark. "Sparkling apple cider. Perfectly acceptable for sixteen year olds."  
  
Clark sat on the blanket that Lex had spread on the roof as Lex poured the apple cider into two glasses.   
  
"You're having the cider, too? I thought. . ."  
  
"Clark, this is about us. About the happiest two months of my life. If I drink something other than what you're drinking, it sort of spoils the symbolism, don't you think?"  
  
Clark nodded. "Yeah. I could see that."  
  
"I thought about dessert. You know, pastry, cake, something like that. But instead, I went with a fruit platter sort of deal." Lex explained as he uncovered a platter that was covered with strawberries, kiwi fruit, several varieties of grapes, Clark couldn't keep track of the fruit that Lex named. He'd never heard of some of them.  
  
"Oh, and that's star fruit. Looks better than it tastes, frankly. And . . . Clark? You with me?"  
  
Clark nodded, taking a sip of his cider. "Thank you." He said sincerely.   
  
"For what?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "For loving me. For being there. For thinking enough of our past that," he paused then decided that, as the spiritual went, he'd better speak when the Spirit said speak, "I can believe that you believe we have a future together."  
  
"Oh, God. Clark. Of course we have a future. Didn't I tell you that? Way back at the beginning? When you saved my life?"  
  
Clark nodded. "Maybe it was Lana and Whitney's breakup. It maybe shook me up a little more than I realized. They did seem perfect for each other. I got to thinking about our relationship, and hoped that you were as committed to it as I am."  
  
"I am. I promise you." Lex said with utmost sincerity.  
  
Clark pulled Lex over for a kiss to seal this promise.  
  
"Now, what about that fruit?" Lex asked, a wicked grin on his face. 


	5. The Dark Knight Pushes the Plot Forward

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 5, The Dark Knight Pushes the Plot Forward  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "Introducing the 'B' Plot"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.   
  
=========  
  
Martha Kent was going insane. That was all there was to it. She kept running into the living room to ask Clark if Lex would prefer this or that to eat, should she use the good china, could Clark please polish the good silver?   
  
And it was still Thursday.  
  
Clark had tried to convince his mother that Lex didn't need good china or good silver, but she wouldn't be dissuaded. So, after polishing the good silver, he headed for the barn.   
  
He sat in his Fortress of Solitude, staring back at the house and thinking, only to discover it wasn't quite as isolated as he thought.  
  
"Good evening, Mr. Kent."  
  
Clark jumped at the unfamiliar voice behind him. He stood and turned and found himself face-to-face with Bruce Wayne.  
  
"Mr. Wayne." Clark tried to keep his cool under the scrutiny of the older man.  
  
"I came by to ask you what your intentions are towards Lex." Bruce said without preamble.  
  
Clark swallowed audibly. "I love him."  
  
He could feel himself being . . . measured by the other man, for lack of a better word, as if his worth were being weighed.  
  
"Good. Because Lex and I have been friends for a long time, and I'd hate to see him hurt."  
  
"Trust me, Mr. Wayne. Hurting Lex would be the last thing I'd want to do."  
  
Bruce nodded shortly. "In that case, you might want to tell him what you're keeping in your storm cellar."  
  
"Our storm cellar?" Clark turned to look at the house briefly, and when he turned back, Bruce Wayne was gone. "Mr. Wayne?" He called out. "Are you still there?"   
  
There was no answer.  
  
"Weird."  
  
Clark climbed out of the hayloft, looking both directions and listening carefully for any sign of Bruce Wayne, but it was like Bruce had never been there.   
  
Clark walked back to the house and stuck his head in the back door. "Mom?"   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Did you see anyone drive up?"  
  
His mother came into the kitchen. "No, I didn't. Why?"  
  
"Just curious. I'm going over to Lex's. I'll be back in time for dinner."  
  
Martha sighed. "I really don't think you should. . ." But by then, her son was long gone.  
  
Soon, Clark was standing in the foyer of Luthor Manor, wondering where his lover might be. He could search the whole castle for him, but decided on the direct route. "Lex!"   
  
His voice reverberated from the rafters. When he didn't get a response, he began searching through the house.   
  
He started in the kitchen, which was deserted. Then on to the media room, also empty. Lex's game room. The exercise room. Finally, he stopped at Lex's bedroom. _I admit I might not want to know what he gets up to when I'm not around,_ Clark thought as he tapped lightly on the door.   
  
There was no answer, so he turned the knob and opened the door. "Lex?" He called out quietly.   
  
He heard the sound of the shower running and Lex's low moaning. Scared to look, unable to resist, Clark walked into the bathroom. Sure enough, Lex was in the shower, rubbing at his own shoulders and rolling his head backwards.  
  
Clark cleared his throat.  
  
Lex jumped and spun around. He opened the door of the shower stall. "Jesus, Clark! You just about gave me a heart attack."  
  
"Sorry. But I couldn't find anyone downstairs, so I just sort of came on up."  
  
"Well, since you're here, why don't you join me? I need someone to rub my neck."  
  
Clark took an unconscious step back. "Oh, no. My mom's expecting me for dinner. I'll rub your neck, but only *after* you're out of the shower."  
  
"Spoilsport."  
  
Clark waited while Lex turned off the shower and threw a towel around his hips, leading Clark into the bedroom. "Can I at least lie down on my bed for you to rub my neck?" He joked as he laid down on his stomach on the bed.  
  
Clark climbed onto the bed, and straddling Lex's lower back, began to rub. "I got a visit today." He said conversationally.  
  
"Oh?" Lex asked, then repeated, "Oh! Let me guess. Bruce stopped by the Kent family farm this afternoon."  
  
Clark paused in mid-massage, holding Lex's trapeziuses in a vise grip. "How'd you know that?"  
  
"Ow. Clark, could you . . .?"   
  
Clark realized how hard he was holding Lex's neck muscles and relaxed his grip. "Oh. Sorry."  
  
"'t's all right." Lex sighed as Clark returned to rubbing his back.  
  
"So, how did you know that Buce Wayne came by the farm?"  
  
"Oh. Well, he was in town for a business meeting, and so when you said that someone had visited you, I guessed."  
  
"Well, you were right. It was . . . the weirdest experience of my life."  
  
"Let me guess. Shows up without warning, says something cryptic, then disappears."  
  
"That was about it, yeah."  
  
"It's a thing he does." Lex shrugged, not an easy task with an unusually-heavy sixteen year old sitting on his lower back. "He's done that at least since prep school. So, what'd he say?"  
  
Clark ignored the question. "Did you ever have a thing for Bruce Wayne?"  
  
Lex didn't respond to Clark's question.  
  
Clark massaged a little harder. "Lex . . ." He said warningly.  
  
"I'm thinking. Of course not." He responded a little too readily. "And even if I had had a . . . 'thing' for him, it's not like it would have gone anywhere. You and Dan are the only guys that I've ever found worth defying my father for."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. Really." Lex responded sincerely.  
  
Lex could practically hear Clark blush. "Thank you." Clark finally managed to say as his hands came to a standstill.   
  
"Clark . . ."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Either keep massaging or get off my back. Please."  
  
"Oh." Clark came back to earth and began moving his hands around on Lex's back again. "Jeez, Lex, what do you do all day?" He asked as he found another clump of tense muscles.  
  
"You mean besides sitting hunched over a desk for twelve hours?"  
  
"Maybe you should take up manual labor." Clark smiled. "My dad and I never have muscles this tense."  
  
"Duly noted. I shall take your advice and give it all of the consideration it deserves. Now, didn't you say something about having to get home for dinner?"  
  
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I'd better go." Clark climbed off of Lex's back and stood. "Oh, and bring something . . . ordinary to dinner tomorrow night. My mom's all stressed out about it. She's determined to feed you from the good china with the good silver."  
  
"Heaven forbid." Lex grinned. "What do you consider 'ordinary'?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "I don't know. Flowers. Ordinary ones. Like red tulips. They're her favorite."  
  
"Red tulips. I think I can handle that. And speaking of lips . . ." Lex took the few steps towards Clark and kissed him. "Now, go." He said in a tone that allowed no argument.  
  
"Right. I'm gone." Clark was glad he'd told Lex about his normal speed, because faster than Lex's eye could follow, Clark was off running home for dinner before his folks grounded him. 


	6. The Truth

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 6, The Truth  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "The Dark Knight Pushes the Plot Forward"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing. Mentions of past VotWs.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.   
  
A/N: For anyone who recognizes the term "nasty sex things," yes, I did lift the phrase, with permission, from Keelywolfe's wonderful "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." I just heard the words coming out of Pete's mouth and couldn't resist.  
  
It's also been over ten years since I've taken algebra (but I got A's in it when I did), so the math stuff is necessarily sketchy.   
  
========  
  
Pete and Clark had just been heading for the school bus, when Pete said, "Hey, isn't that Lex?"  
  
Clark was about to say something about how Lex had to be at work, but stopped when he saw that Pete was right. "Come on." He encouraged Pete to follow him to his lover's car.  
  
"You're not going to do any . . . nasty sex things, are you?" Pete asked dubiously.  
  
"Nah. There are far too many people here." Clark joked.  
  
Pete looked even more dubious, if that was possible, and started heading toward the bus again.  
  
Clark grabbed his arm, guiding him back towards Lex's car. "I promise. 'Nasty sex things' aren't even on the agenda right now. I actually expected him to still be at work."  
  
They finally drew close enough for Lex to call out to them. "Pete! Clark! You want a ride home?"   
  
Clark grinned. "Sure. You sure you're going our way?"   
  
Clark and Pete exchanged a look, and as Clark opened the door, Pete climbed into the back seat. Once Pete was situated, Clark sat on the passenger's side of the front seat, shutting the door firmly and clicking his seat belt shut.  
  
Clark and Lex exchanged a warm smile. "Pete wants to know if we're going to do . . . 'nasty sex things.'" Clark said with a grin, watching Pete squirm.  
  
"No plans to. Unless he wants us to, of course. Just for the educational value." Lex said in an entirely too-solemn tone, just to make Pete more uncomfortable.  
  
"God, will you two just quit it." Pete complained.  
  
Lex threw the car into first and peeled off from the curb, heading out towards the Kent farm. Once they were out of the outskirts of town, Lex pulled to the side for a moment. "Come here." He said to Clark.  
  
Clark leaned in, and they kissed once, gently.   
  
Clark looked back at Pete. "That 'nasty' enough for you?"  
  
Pete looked stunned. "That wasn't that bad. Kinda nice, actually. You two look . . . right for each other."  
  
As Lex began driving again, Clark asked, "Was that the first time we've kissed in front of someone?"  
  
Lex thought. "I think it might be. We didn't kiss at the restaurant in Chicago, did we?"  
  
Clark thought back. "No. We definitely didn't."  
  
"Then I guess it was." He grinned back at Pete. "You should feel honored."  
  
Pete rolled his eyes.  
  
"So, why aren't you at work?" Clark asked.  
  
"Too nervous. Dinner with the in-laws tonight. I almost exploded from the pressure of sitting behind my desk until you were out of school." He looked back at Pete. "And no, that wasn't a reference to any kind of 'sex thing.'"  
  
Pete laughed. "I'm glad to hear it."  
  
Lex slowed down as they reached the Kent farm driveway. "You're welcome to come in, Lex. I've got chores to do before dinner though . . ."  
  
Lex winked at Clark. "Actually, we're having a special meeting of shareholders next week, and I've got to drop Nell Potter's proxy statement off at her house. I suppose you'd want me to drop you off at your house first, right, Pete? I mean, I'm going to be talking to Nell for a long, long time, and I know you've got stuff to do this afternoon besides . . . talking with Lana."  
  
"Um, er, well . . ." Pete stammered.  
  
Clark grinned at Lex. "I think he's saying that he'd be fine with coming to Nell's house with you."  
  
"Yeah. What he said." Pete responded, grinning.  
  
"I hoped you'd say that." Lex said as Clark leaned forward for a quick good-bye kiss.   
  
"See you after you take Pete home?" Clark asked.  
  
"Can't wait." Lex responded, pulling Clark back for another kiss.  
  
Clark watched until Lex pulled off down the road, and then took the driveway the rest of the way up to the house. Once he was close enough, he saw the storm cellar door. It seemed to be mocking him, as he remembered his strange meeting with Bruce Wayne the previous day. _Tell Lex what's in the storm cellar._ Clark shook his head to clear it. _I'll do it tonight. After dinner. God knows, just eating a meal with my Dad will probably be enough to make Lex want to call the whole thing off. What else do I have to lose?_  
  
He threw open the front door and dropped his book bag on the living room floor as he headed up to his bedroom to change into work clothes.  
  
"Wait just a minute, Clark." His mother's voice brought him to a complete stop.  
  
"Yes?" He asked as patiently as he could, knowing that he wouldn't be able to spend time with Lex until he was done with his chores and the last thing either Lex or Jonathan needed was time alone without him as a buffer.  
  
"Did you just drop your book bag on the floor over there by the door?"  
  
"Um, yes?" Clark was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.  
  
"Come back down here and pick it up and take it to your room with you."   
  
Clark closed his eyes. "Really, Mom. Lex doesn't need all of this. He'd be fine with my book bag on the floor." He looked at Martha, but could see that it wasn't working. Sighing, he came back downstairs, picked up his book bag and took it upstairs with him.   
  
Meanwhile, Lex's car pulled up in the driveway at Nell Potter's house and Lex, carrying a manila folder, and Pete climbed out. Together, they walked up to the front door and Lex rang the doorbell.  
  
Momentarily, Nell answered the door. "Lex! And you brought . . . Pete Ross, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Pete responded. "Lana and I have algebra together. I was wondering if she could . . . help me with the assignment for the weekend." Pete was grateful for his dark complexion, that kept the blush from showing at his lame excuse.  
  
"I'll see if she's available." Nell said uncertainly and Pete felt his heart drop clean through his intestines as he realized that Lana might refuse to see him.  
  
Nell admitted Lex and Pete and then headed upstairs.   
  
"She'll see you." Lex whispered conspiratorially.  
  
Pete narrowed his eyes. "Did you call ahead and ask or something?"  
  
"Of course not. But what girl would want to hang around here alone when she has you to talk to instead?" He winked at Pete in a way that made Pete briefly wonder if he was flirting with him.  
  
But before he could ask, Nell came back downstairs, followed by Lana, who was carrying her algebra book in her hands.   
  
"Hi." Lana smiled. "You had some questions about the algebra homework?"  
  
"Yeah." Pete hoped he wasn't smiling like an idiot, but he was reasonably certain he was. "Have you been working on it?"  
  
"No." Lana shook her head. "Procrastinating, I guess." She smiled back and Pete felt a little better about his own manic grin.  
  
"Well, we could work on it . . . together?"  
  
"Sure. Let's go into the kitchen."  
  
Lana led Pete into the kitchen and indicated for him to sit down at the table. Pete took out his algebra book, pencil and paper.   
  
"You want something to drink?" Lana asked as she opened the refrigerator.  
  
"You have a Coke?"  
  
"Pepsi all right?"  
  
Pete nodded. "Yeah."   
  
She took two cans from the refrigerator and sat down across from Pete at the table, handing one of the cans to him.  
  
Pete prayed that the can would open without incident and the patron saint or deity or whoever watches over teenaged boys opening cans of soda in front of their crushes was listening. The can hissed slightly and popped open as smooth as silk. Breathing a sigh of relief, he took a sip and waited while Lana opened her book to the assignment page.   
  
They were embroiled in debating their varying interpretations of synthetic division when Lex stuck his head into the kitchen. "You ready to go, Pete?"   
  
Pete looked at Lex, so that Lana couldn't see him silently willing her to ask him to stay. "Yeah. In a minute."  
  
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Lana asked.  
  
Pete hoped he didn't look too desperate as he looked at her. "That'd be all right with your aunt?"  
  
"I guess so. Nell, can Pete stay for dinner? We're in the middle of this assignment . . ."  
  
Pete held his breath, only releasing it when Nell responded, "I don't see why not."  
  
"You all right with that?" Lex asked, knowing full well the answer.  
  
"Yeah. I can get home on my own." Pete said to Lex, smiling.   
  
"I'll see you around, then." Lex left, trying not to show the joy in his heart that Lana might actually be noticing Pete. He hadn't lied to either Lana or Clark when he said that Lana deserved better than Whitney.   
  
His statements that Lana would be better off with Clark were a touchier issue, and something that Lex thought best left unexplored.   
  
So, congratulating himself on his role in helping two of Clark's friends find true love, he got back into his car and headed back towards the Kent farm.  
  
Clark had finished his chores and ducked into the shower quickly before his mother could demand that he do so. He hadn't been all *that* sweaty, and he knew that Lex would love him regardless, but there was no way he was going to say that to Martha Kent.  
  
He stepped out of the shower and as he toweled himself dry, he heard voices coming from downstairs. Lex was there already. "Damn!" he swore, as he toweled faster. He dressed quickly, in clean, presentable but still comfortable clothes. One of the benefits of Lex already being there was that his mother wouldn't order him to change into something dressier.  
  
As soon as he was dressed, he hurried downstairs to defuse any tension that had come up between his parents and Lex while he was gone. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, to find Lex chatting companionably with Martha. Jonathan was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Where's Dad?" He asked, startled by Jonathan's absence.  
  
"He's still outside. You were in the shower, so he decided to keep working until you were through. You might want to tell him that the shower's free." Martha said with a smile.  
  
Clark nodded and walked through the kitchen to the back door.   
  
"I'll come with you." He heard Lex's voice behind him. "It might be the last excuse for us to be alone for a while." Lex whispered as he joined Clark at the back door.  
  
They walked close together out to the barn. "Dad!" Clark called out.  
  
"Yeah?" Jonathan looked up from the piece of farm equipment he was repairing. "Could you give me a hand with . . . . Lex." He finished flatly.  
  
"Mr. Kent." Lex responded evenly.  
  
"Actually, Mom sent me out to tell you that the shower's available."  
  
"I'll be along in a minute." Jonathan said as he wiped some of the oil from his hands onto a dingy rag.  
  
Lex and Clark headed back towards the house, but halfway there, Clark headed off to the right, towards the fields. Lex followed.  
  
"So, you obviously didn't stay at Nell's that long, if you were able to get Pete home and be here by now."  
  
"Actually, I was there for a couple of hours. I shaved another hour off my time by not taking Pete home." Lex couldn't help grinning in anticipation of Clark's next question.  
  
Clark responded as Lex expected. "You just abandoned him?"   
  
"Only if an invitation to dine with Lana Lang constitutes abandonment."   
  
"Pete's having dinner with Lana?"  
  
Lex nodded. "I think there's really something there. A connection. The spark of romance."  
  
"Why couldn't you have swung a dinner invite for me?" Clark asked before he thought about it.  
  
"Hey. I busted my ass trying to get you with Lana." Lex said pointedly. "Now, granted, I didn't want you to be with her, but I loved you enough to want you happy. And if the cheerleader is what would make you happy . . . . I guess I was naïve enough to think that I make you happier."  
  
Clark stood, stunned, as Lex stomped away, back towards the house.  
  
"Lex!" Clark called out. When Lex didn't respond, he hurried over to his lover's side. "Lex." He put a hand on Lex's shoulder. "Of course you make me happy. God, I'm so sorry. It was so easy to get Lana and Pete together, I just spoke without thinking. You make me happier than I have any right to be."  
  
Lex looked at Clark, curiously. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
Clark sighed. "I can't go into it right now. It's something that Bruce said when he was here. I've thought about it, and he's right. We'll talk after dinner."  
  
"Are you all right? Are *we* all right?" Lex asked.  
  
Jonathan, on the way into the house, called out. "You two all right over there?"  
  
"Yeah, Dad. We're fine." Clark reassured him. Then, after he'd moved on, he said, softer, "we *are* fine. I promise." What he didn't say was that he feared desperately that they wouldn't be 'fine' any longer once he told him what his parents kept in the storm cellar.  
  
Together, they walked into the house.  
  
Once Jonathan had returned downstairs, freshly showered and shaved, they sat down to dinner. To Clark's great discomfort, Martha had indeed brought out the good china, and they ate in the dining room. Clark couldn't remember ever having eaten in the dining room before.   
  
The food, at least, was relatively simple -- steaks -- but the addition of the sautéed mushrooms and baked potatoes instead of mashed, made for a dressier dinner than Clark was used to.  
  
"This is excellent, Mrs. Kent." Lex said as he tasted the steak and mushrooms on his plate.   
  
"Thank you, Lex." Martha responded with a smile.  
  
They ate in silence for a while, then Lex spoke. "You know, now that you're so much more friendly to me, I'd recommend that Clark take ballroom dancing lessons."  
  
"Ballroom dancing lessons?" Jonathan asked in disbelief.  
  
"Well, yes." Lex blinked like he was surprised. "If we're going to spend time together, then I'll want to take him to one or two of the social functions that I'm invited to. You know, knowing the right people can make his college selection easier, not to mention his employment opportunities, should he *choose* not to return to farming after college."  
  
"Knowing the right people." Jonathan muttered darkly, and Clark could see the détente he'd negotiated crumbling before his eyes.  
  
"Yes," Lex said as if he hadn't heard the tone of Jonathan's voice. "Bruce Wayne, for example."  
  
Jonathan gaped. "Bruce Wayne? Wayne Foundation Bruce Wayne?"  
  
Lex nodded. "Diametric Opposite of Lionel Luthor Bruce Wayne," he grinned. "Yes, that one."  
  
Clark never thought that his father could be that impressed by a bit of name-dropping. But he was.   
  
"Where do you know Bruce Wayne from?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Prep school."  
  
"And college?"  
  
Lex shook his head. "Bruce didn't have the . . . luxury of attending college. After prep school, he went right into his position as CEO at WayneTech."  
  
"Really?" Martha responded. "I'd always thought that a college degree was, you know, required before you can become a CEO."  
  
Lex shook his head. "I suppose Bruce might have accumulated continuing education credits enough for a degree by now, and I think he actually has one or two honorary degrees, but running WayneTech, and making Chicago a better place to live, have always been his primary interest. Even back when we first met, when we were fourteen and fifteen."  
  
"And you'd be interested in introducing Clark to Bruce Wayne?" Jonathan queried intently.  
  
"Oh, yes, indeed. In fact, Bruce was just here yesterday."  
  
Clark's heart nearly stopped, until Lex continued.  
  
"We had a meeting at my office. Anyway, he's having a sort of soiree at his house in Lake Forest in a few weeks, and I would love to take Clark with me. It would be a good experience for him, you know. Getting out and meeting people."  
  
"And he'd need to know ballroom dancing for this?" Jonathan continued.  
  
"Oh, yes. It's one of those drinks, dinner, dancing affairs. But Bruce is always sure to provide non-alcoholic beverages for the drivers, and anyone underage who happens to attend." He hastened to assure them.  
  
Jonathan looked at Martha, who said, "We really don't have any extra money for dancing lessons . . ."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that." Lex assured them. "I actually have a private tutor on staff. For the children of my executives, you understand. I'll simply send for Anneke to come out to Smallville a few times in the next weeks."   
  
Martha and Jonathan looked at each other, conferring silently.   
  
"I don't see what harm it could cause," Martha said smiling warmly at her son. "I've always thought that learning to dance could be a good thing."  
  
"Good. Well, that's decided then. I'll have my secretary call you to make arrangements for Clark's tuxedo for the party, too?"  
  
"Um, well, I guess that'd be all right." Martha looked at Jonathan, who, much to Clark's surprise, merely shrugged his acquiescence.  
  
After dinner, Clark and Lex excused themselves to go out to the loft of the barn.   
  
Once there, Lex leaned back, grinning like a madman. "I did it."  
  
"Did what?"  
  
"Gave you an excuse to be at my house evenings and weekends, *and* bought us a full weekend away together."  
  
Clark blinked twice. "That's what all of that about ballroom dancing was about?"  
  
Lex nodded. "I just thought of it on the spur of the moment. I *would* like to take you to that party at Bruce's. But if you want to go a different weekend, your parents won't know the difference."  
  
Clark found himself laughing. "And what's going to happen when I don't learn how to dance?"  
  
"Oh, you will. But I'll be your teacher."  
  
Adrenaline and passion surged through Clark's body at the thought of his body pressed up against Lex's, moving in time with the music. He leaned forward, kissing Lex firmly.   
  
Then he pulled back abruptly. "We've got to talk." He said firmly, allowing no argument from his lover.  
  
Lex could hear the determination in Clark's voice. "All right."  
  
"It's actually about Bruce. About what he said to me yesterday."  
  
"All right . . ."  
  
Clark closed his eyes. "Your hair. Lana's parents. All of the weirdness going on - Greg, Jodie, Sean, all of it. Chloe's 'Wall of Weird.' It's all my fault."  
  
"What? How could all of that be your fault?"  
  
"My parents found me that day. The day the meteors fell. By the side of the road. The official story was that my parents, whoever they were . . . ."  
  
"Were killed by a meteorite the same way Lana's were, and you were spared." Lex finished for him. At Clark's surprised look, he said, "I had you checked out. Six months ago. Long before we were an 'us.'"  
  
"But that's not true. Only my parents know the real story. Well, my parents, and me, and apparently, Bruce Wayne. And now you'll know, too. I only hope you can forgive me."  
  
Clark stood and walked over to look at the house. "You see that door? Up against the side of the house?"  
  
Lex nodded. "It's your parents' storm cellar, isn't it?"  
  
"Yep. It's also where our deepest family secret is held. It wasn't an accident that I was found the day the meteors fell. I was one of them."  
  
"One of what?"  
  
"The meteors. At least, that's what I'm sure it looked like to anyone watching, and on the radar readouts and everything. But it wasn't. It was a spaceship."  
  
"A spaceship." Lex tried to keep his tone from reflecting any doubt about Clark's story.  
  
Clark nodded. "Yes. Remember how weak I was when you found me on the cross?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Didn't it seem . . . odd to you how quickly I recovered, once you removed Lana's necklace from my neck?"  
  
"The necklace that was made from . . . one of the meteors."  
  
Clark nodded.   
  
"One of the meteors that arrived when you did."  
  
Clark braced himself for Lex's next statement.  
  
"That is . . . You are . . . a miracle."   
  
Clark blinked. "What?"  
  
"Do you know what this means?"  
  
Clark shook his head slowly. "No."  
  
"For centuries. Millenia, even. People have wondered if there's life on other planets. And now I'm one of, what? One, two, three, four, five. Five people who know the truth. There is." Lex scratched his head. "Or there was, at any rate, since the only extraterrestrial I know is now living *here*."   
  
"You're not angry? Or scared?"  
  
"Why would I be angry? Or scared?" Lex shook his head in bewilderment.  
  
"Well, because. I took your hair away."  
  
"Only in the most abstract way, Clark. And in a very, very real way you, a, gave me my life back, and b, give me a reason to go on living every day since." Lex kissed Clark, then.  
  
"Lex, my parents . . ."  
  
"Eh. Let them find their own beautiful farmboys to kiss. You're spoken for." Lex grinned.  
  
Clark, stunned, sat down hard on the floor of the loft.   
"Now, the next thing we have to do is find out exactly how different you are from humans. I have a lab if you don't mind giving me things like blood samples, etcetera."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Bear with me, Clark. I'm a science geek at heart. And finding extraterrestrial life's a science geek's wet dream. And then there's the meteorites. You're apparently sensitive to them. Would it be more practical to clean the area of them, or to inoculate you against them somehow?  
  
"You do realize I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight, thanks to you?" Lex demanded, as he continued plying Clark with questions on into the night. 


	7. Lying to the Kents

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 7, Lying to the Kents  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "The Truth"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing. I don't think.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.   
  
WARNING: The forthcoming chapters will contain indecent amounts of technobabble. Each chapter from here in will contain a sort of technobabble summary at the end, so if you're not into that sort of thing, you can sort of skim for important stuff (smoochies, etc.). I hope some of it actually makes sense. I think (with the help of Joyce and Livia from the ClarkLex list) that I'm onto something about the nature of kryptonite in the Smallville universe . . .  
  
========  
  
Clark woke on Saturday morning as the birds just began chirping in the trees outside his window. He sighed and dragged himself out of bed. _No time like the present, I guess._  
  
He'd left Lex in the loft with a spiral notebook and a handful of pencils several hours previously, after Lex had assured him that he'd be able to get home by himself.  
  
He arrived downstairs, where the back door stood open, indicating that Jonathan had already started his daily work. Grabbing a Pop-Tart from the cabinet, Clark ate it quickly and headed out to join his father.  
  
He found his father in the barn, talking to Lex. And from the look of the rumpled clothes he'd been wearing the night before, Lex hadn't gone home after all.  
  
"Look, Mr. Kent . . ." Lex was explaining earnestly. "I was inspired last night while I was talking to Clark. He gave me some paper and pencils and went to bed. This is the first time I've been down from the loft since dinner last night." He held out the spiral notebook, paging quickly enough through it that Jonathan got the sense of the complexity of the science involved without picking up on the specifics.  
  
"Lex, I don't know what you're pulling here, but I just hope that you don't intend to drag us into whatever lawsuit results from all of that when it starts killing people."  
  
"Actually, Mr. Kent, the intention of this is to," he glanced back at the house and saw Clark watching them, "save lives," he finished quietly. "Clark. Good morning." He called out.  
  
"Morning, Lex. Dad." Clark said as he joined them in the barn. "What's this all about?"  
  
"Your . . . friend here has been planning some new business venture or other here in our barn, apparently."   
  
"Oh. That. Yeah, Lex and I talked about that last night. He was onto something and asked me for some paper and pencils so he could work it out while it was fresh in his mind." Clark said, giving his father only enough information to help Lex.  
  
Jonathan took Clark aside. Once they were away from Lex, he said, "He was here all night, son. Who knows what he got up to." Jonathan whispered pointedly. "He might have gone down into the *storm* *cellar*."   
  
"We could just ask him." Clark said calmly. "Or we could fingerprint him and see if we find his fingerprints on the doors of the storm cellar." That wasn't a bad idea. Clark would be interested to see if Bruce Wayne's fingerprints were on the storm cellar door, actually.  
  
Lex made no secret that he was eavesdropping. "I told your dad that I've been up in the loft all night. This is the first time I came down those stairs, but if you want to fingerprint me, can it at least wait until I go to the bathroom?"  
  
"Go on, Lex. I'll deal with my dad." Clark said, looking directly at Jonathan.  
  
Lex hurried off towards the house, carrying his notebook with him.  
  
Clark advanced on his father. "Dad, I can promise you that Lex hasn't been anywhere near the storm cellar."  
  
"How could you possibly know for sure?"   
  
Clark itched to tell his father that Lex didn't need to look, because Lex already knew. "Because, why would he? I mean, he's been here for seven months now, and has, you know, all of those faceless minions at his beck and call."  
  
"Faceless minions?" Jonathan asked, amused.  
  
Clark tried to restrain the blush at his accidental use of a term he'd previously only used with Lex. "You know. People. Whatever. Heck, remember back last fall? When I was out with Lana, and Lex had you and Mom over to his house? He could have sent someone over to look through the storm cellar then."   
  
Jonathan looked intently at his son. "You're right. He could have."  
  
Too late, Clark realized his mistake. "But he didn't. I'm sure of it. I would have seen some sign of it if he had."  
  
Martha came out of the house, then. "Did you know that Lex Luthor spent the night in our hayloft?" She asked Jonathan.  
  
"Mom. He was working on something. He's a scientist, you know. He . . . was inspired, so I brought him some paper and pencils and left him to it last night."  
  
"You knew?" Martha asked.  
  
"He promised me he'd find his own way home. I didn't know that his burst of inspiration would keep him here all night."  
  
"Did you leave him alone in the house?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"He went into the downstairs bathroom. I'm sure he's just . . ." Martha hastened to assure him.  
  
"Martha. The window of the downstairs bathroom is just over the door to the storm cellar."  
  
"Jeez, you two. Will you just . . . ."   
  
Clark stomped off towards the house. Standing on the storm cellar door, he knocked at the bathroom window. "You in there, Lex?" He called out.  
  
A moment later, Lex came to the window. He slid it open. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Just making sure you haven't climbed out the window and aren't climbing down into the storm cellar as we speak."  
  
"I'm sorry." Lex apologized sincerely. "I didn't even notice the time until it was already sunrise and I came down the stairs to find your dad already down there."  
  
"That's all right." Clark assured him. "They're being completely unreasonable. All of these lies and coverups and things . . . I just wish I could tell them and get it over with."  
  
Lex smiled softly. "That's why I love you. And we'll tell them. When you are really ready to. If that's today, then . . ."  
  
Clark shook his head. "No. That would just make this whole situation worse. They'll suspect you until they don't, and," he added sheepishly, "I made the mistake of pointing out that you could have rummaged through the storm cellar at any time since arriving in Smallville. I even used the term 'faceless minions.'"  
  
Lex grinned. "Well, let me finish here and then we'll do damage control."   
  
With that, he slid the window shut, and Clark went back to his parents.  
  
"There. See? He's in the bathroom, doing . . . bathroom things."   
  
"I know, and I'm sorry. I know that Lex didn't go through the storm cellar. Your mom talked some sense into me." Jonathan admitted ruefully.  
  
"You know, I could just put an end to any worries you have."  
  
"What?" Jonathan asked, as Clark began pacing the ground, staring at it intently.  
  
"There." Clark pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "About eight feet below the surface, there's a chunk of limestone that'll cover up the whole entrance to the storm cellar. Just give me a minute to dig it up, and then anyone who wants to look down there'll have to ask me first."  
  
"Clark, stop." Jonathan asked as his son headed for the barn.   
  
Soon, Clark came back with a shovel. He poised it on the dirt and pressed down. . .  
  
"Stop." Martha's voice cut through the haze of Clark's self-pity.   
  
He looked up at his mom, silently begging her to talk him out of this.  
  
"Clark, your father, apologized. He overreacted."  
  
Clark dropped the shovel. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I *know* I can trust Lex. We all can. He's a good guy."  
  
"I'm sure he is." Jonathan said without conviction.   
  
Lex, still carrying the notebook, rejoined the family assembled in the back yard. He glanced down, wordlessly, at the shovel lying on the ground. "Well, thank you for the use of your loft, Mr. Kent." He said cheerfully.   
  
"You're welcome to stay for breakfast." Jonathan said stiffly.  
  
Lex shook his head regretfully. "No. Thank you," he added belatedly, "I've got to get this home," he indicated the notebook, grinning, "and check out some of my research."  
  
Jonathan and Martha blinked at the glee in Lex's tone.   
  
"I'll walk you to your car." Clark offered.   
  
Once they were out of Jonathan and Martha's earshot, Lex said, "We need to come up with some way to get you over to my place. To do some studies, of course."  
  
"Of course. No ulterior motives at all." Clark couldn't help grinning.   
  
Lex returned the grin. "All in the name of science."   
  
"Oh, so that's what the kids are calling it these days."   
  
They'd reached the car, and Lex glanced back towards the side of the house, fearful that Jonathan or Martha would come around the corner. "God, I wish I could kiss you."  
  
"You will be able to. Just as soon as I can get away to come over."  
  
"It's not just about wanting to kiss you now. It's about wanting to kiss you anytime. Anywhere."  
  
"Anywhere?" Clark asked, heavily suggestive.  
  
"I'm leaving now, before I ravish you right here in front of God, your parents, and everyone." Lex said as he opened his car door.  
  
Clark sighed. "I'm not sure I'll be able to come over tonight. With, you know, the you-spent-the-whole-night-in-our-loft thing and all."  
  
"I really do have to see you soon, because," he leaned forward, "I sort of, well, had some dealings with Steven Hamilton a few months ago."  
  
Clark couldn't believe it. "The meteor guy?"  
  
"Yeah. The meteor guy. Well, he sent me reams of printouts on the chemical makeup of the meteors, and, really, nothing odd showed up. Quartz, beryl, not a particularly high quality of either. Just . . . rocks."  
  
"Anything that glows?"  
  
"Glows?"  
  
Clark nodded. "The rocks glow when I'm near them. At least I assume it's just when I'm around them. I've never heard anyone else talk about it."  
  
Lex shook his head. "That's a new one on me."  
  
"Well, if we need to get started on this, we need to get started on it. Give me some time to work on my folks. If I can be over tonight, I will."   
  
Clark and Lex glanced back at the house, where they could see Jonathan and Martha still deep in conversation. Lex grabbed Clark's shoulders and turned him so that the younger man's broad back hid him from the elder Kents, then reached up, kissed Clark quickly, and ducked into his car so fast that even Clark was surprised.  
  
After his lover left, Clark returned to his parents, bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation with his father.   
  
"So," he said when he stopped next to them.  
  
"I'm sorry." Jonathan said. "I was entirely too harsh with Lex."  
  
Clark blinked, unable to decide what to do next. Finally, he decided to press his luck. "Well, what I'm about to say might try this newfound patience of yours."  
  
Jonathan took a deep breath and Clark could almost see his father bracing himself, as if Clark were going to hit him.  
  
"What Lex is working on? It's about all of the meteor mutants. He thinks he's onto something, and from what he's said, I think he is, too."  
  
"All right." Jonathan paused, waiting for more.  
  
"Well, he saw me around the meteors once," he didn't tell his parents that it was when Lex had taken Lana's necklace from around his neck as he hung, crucified, in a cornfield, "and he knows that I'm sensitive to them."  
  
"OK." Again, that same pause.  
  
"He thinks it might be an allergy of some sort. Completely human, not alien at all. I'm sure. But he thinks that by studying my . . . allergy to the meteors, he might get some insight into what makes the meteors change people."  
  
Jonathan could hear what was coming next. "No."  
  
"But I think he might be able to help. Protect me from whatever it is that makes me so weak. And I could find out exactly what he knows about . . . everything."  
  
"It's too dangerous to you. Physically. You might as well be a human child asking a parent for permission to *be* the target when a friend learns to use a gun, Clark."  
  
"It's not that bad. We've talked it over, and he's assured me that he'll have proper protective gear."  
  
"All right, so you're the target wearing a bullet proof vest. Not much improvement."  
  
"Do you trust me?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"It's Lex you don't trust."  
  
"And you do? With your life?"  
  
That was easy. "Yes."  
  
Jonathan blinked, clearly expecting some pause, some delay. "Oh. Well, if you really feel that way, then I guess I can't stop you." He said stiffly.   
"Really?" He hoped he wasn't grinning like an idiot, but he was pretty sure he was.  
  
"What else do you expect me to say?"  
  
After Jonathan had returned to his work, Clark looked at his mother. "What just happened?" Clark asked.  
  
Martha gave him a bittersweet smile and reached up to run her fingertips down her son's cheek. "I think he knows that you're growing up, and you seemed pretty set on this."  
  
"I am. I know I can trust Lex."  
  
"Son? Is there something you want to tell us? Me? About Lex?"  
  
Clark thought he knew what his mother was talking about. Hoped he knew what his mother was talking about. Was afraid he knew what his mother was talking about. He lied. "No, Mom. Nothing."  
  
"All right. If you ever need to tell me anything about Lex, know that you can."  
  
"Thanks, Mom."  
  
"Now I think your father needs your help."  
  
All the way to where Jonathan stood waiting for his son, Clark mulled over this exchange in his mind. _Mom must know that I love Lex. But can she see that Lex loves me, too? Or does she think that this is a one-way crush?_  
  
He reached his father's side and buried these thoughts under the three 100-pound bags of seed Jonathan needed carried into the barn.  
  
The morning of farm work, followed by lunch, followed by an afternoon of homework, followed by dinner, went more quickly than Clark could have expected. Soon, he was helping his mother clear the table.   
  
"Can I go over to Lex's and start working on this meteor thing with him tonight?"  
  
"Well, it is still the weekend," his mother said, "so I don't see why not. Just don't stay out too late. Your father worries."  
  
"I won't. Thanks." Clark picked up his school book bag, left there from his homework that night, kissed his mother on the cheek and, in a blur of speed, was out the door and gone.  
  
Moments later, he stood on Lex's doorstep and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes with no response, he tried the doorknob, which turned easily under his hand.  
  
"Lex?" He called out, hearing only silence as his response.  
  
He walked further into the house. "Lex!"  
  
Somewhere in the distance a clock was ticking. Reaching the main corridor, he looked down to the right, then to the left. The ticking was definitely coming from the right. He went left. Down towards the kitchen.  
  
As he passed the doorway to the kitchen, he heard a sharp intake of breath, and looked to see Lex about to collide with him and pour hot soup on himself in the process.   
  
By the time Lex could say, "Jesus, Clark, you scared the hell out of me," Clark had gotten out of the way and grabbed the bowl of soup away from Lex, holding it in his own invulnerable hands as the scalding-hot liquid sploshed over the edge.  
  
"Soup, Lex? You need more dinner than that." Clark winced as he realized how much he sounded like Martha.   
  
Lex primly took the bowl from Clark's hands. "Thank you for keeping me from scalding myself, but I'm working. You should be happy I'm eating even this." Then, grinning, he said, "Come on. I'll show you the lab."  
  
Still bearing the bowl of soup in his hands, Lex led Clark the rest of the way down that end of the corridor to a flight of stairs leading down. Down they went, into the basement, then through another corridor to a stainless steel door.  
  
Lex stepped to one side. "After you."   
  
Clark grasped the handle and pushed the door open. Beyond was a lab the likes of which Clark had never seen. Equipment that Clark was certain must be state-of-the-art lined a counter along one wall. Empty counters, evidently for work, lined two others. By the fourth wall stood a desk. Lex carried his bowl of soup to the desk and put it down.   
  
Then he walked back across the room to Clark, wrapping his arms around his lover and pulling his head down for an enthusiastic hello kiss. "I've been needing that all day." Lex said as they separated.   
  
"Me, too." Clark grinned, grabbing Lex and pulling him closer. "And this."   
  
They kissed again, only coming up when they needed air.   
  
"I'd better eat my soup before it gets cold." Lex said, reluctantly releasing his hold on Clark.  
  
Clark idly picked up a shiny black block roughly the size and shape of a bar of soap from the desk.   
  
"Clark! Don't!" Lex yelled, making Clark drop the block, which thunked loudly as it hit the desk.  
  
"I'm sorry. I won't . . . ." Clark stammered.  
  
Lex calmed down and grabbed Clark by his upper arms. "Are you all right?" He said distinctly.  
  
Clark met Lex's eyes squarely. "Yes. I'm fine."   
  
Lex heaved a sigh of relief and released Clark's arms. Panting heavily, he picked up the block.  
  
"What is it?" Clark asked.  
  
"Nobody knows." Lex shrugged. "But it comes from those meteors that came with you."  
  
Clark looked a question at his lover.  
  
Lex tapped the block against his hand. "I actually left this out to remind me to test it out on you in a controlled situation. That was a miserable damn failure, huh?"  
  
Clark lifted the block from Lex's hand and looked at it, smiling crookedly. "Well, apparently this isn't the problem." He looked pointedly at Lex. "Eat your soup."  
  
Lex moved to the chair behind the desk and sat, pulling the bowl to him.  
  
Clark found another chair and pulled it over to the desk, straddling it backwards and sat, facing Lex.  
  
In between slurps of soup, Lex explained.   
  
"I remembered most of it correctly. Quartz. Beryl. Beryl tends towards the green. You know, aquamarines. Emeralds."   
  
"Emeralds?"   
Lex nodded. "Never seen a gemstone-quality meteor before. Besides Lana's necklace. And even that's probably not pure, considering your reaction to it. Anyway, there's other stuff in there, too." Lex dug something out of the bowl and squinted into the spoon. "Carbon, things like that.  
  
"And then there's that." Lex indicated the block. "Nothing like it on our periodic table. That I can tell you."  
  
"It's nice, you know? Knowing that you know everything."  
  
"Hm?" Lex looked at him.  
  
"Well, that bowl of soup for example. Just a couple of days ago, you'd've been nursing burns while I pretended to have been injured, and you'd've had to've done something else for dinner, too. But since you know, I could get out of the way, save you from getting scalded, *and* save your dinner. And all without having to pretend that boiling water can burn me."  
  
"My hero." Lex grinned.  
  
"All in a day's work." Clark grinned. Then he turned serious. "So, nothing in those meteors should be able to hurt me?"  
  
"Nope." Lex slurped up the final spoonful of soup. "Looks like we're going to have to start combining minerals and see what happens."  
  
"Lex?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What about the glow?"  
  
Lex shook his head. "Didn't see anything luminescent in there. Or even potentially luminescent. Maybe the meteors're turned on when you're near them." Lex flirted shamelessly.   
  
"Well, if they're attracted to me, they sure have a funny way of showing it. I'm attracted to you and I don't regularly try to kill you."  
  
Lex stood. "I have one of the meteors here." He said. "It's safe now, in a lead box, but if you feel up to it, can you show me what you mean about the glow?"  
  
Clark nodded. "Sure."  
  
Lex went to the side counter and picked up the box, bringing it back to the desk. He placed it in front of Clark. "Whenever you're ready." He said, moving to give Clark free access to the box.  
  
His hand trembling, Clark opened the box. "You . . . you see? The glow?" He choked out as waves of nausea washed over him.  
  
Lex shook his head. "I don't see . . . Christ! Clark!" Lex threw a hand out and slammed the lid down on the box. "What the hell was that?"  
  
Clark swallowed convulsively. "What?" He looked at Lex.  
  
"Your . . . skin. It started to . . . " Lex gestured futilely.  
  
"Oh. That. Well, whenever I get near the meteors it happens."  
  
"Then why did you do it?" Lex sighed.  
  
Clark shrugged. "Because you needed me to."  
  
"We're going to have to talk more about this later. A little self-sacrifice goes a long way, Clark." Lex rubbed his face with his hands, then looked at his hands. "Well, at least I wasn't able to see what you're talking about it glowing."  
  
Lex walked around in front of Clark and looked into his eyes, not romantically, but incisively, as if examining them. "Do you often see things that other people don't see?"  
  
"You mean like hallucinations?"   
  
Lex shrugged.  
  
"No. Not normally."  
  
"And how about *not* like hallucinations?" Lex prodded gently.  
  
"Well, there's this one thing . . ."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I can sometimes see through things."  
  
"What kind of things?"  
  
"Walls? It's a sort of . . . x-ray vision."  
  
"What color underwear am I wearing?"  
  
Clark glanced down at Lex's fly. "You probably don't want me to do that. We don't know what it'd do to you."  
  
"Actually," Lex smiled slyly. "I thought you could just . . . check."  
  
Clark reached up to Lex's neck, pulling Lex down to him for a kiss. One kiss, then another, then Clark's cell phone rang.  
  
"It might be my folks." Clark sighed as he pulled the phone from his book bag. He looked at the number in the caller ID. "It's Pete."   
  
He looked questioningly as he answered. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Clark."  
  
"Pete! What's up?"  
  
"I was about to call Lana up and ask her out . . ."  
  
Clark met Lex's eyes. Lex could clearly hear what Pete was saying through the side of the cell phone. They grinned at each other. "And?"  
  
"And, well, I wasn't sure if it was right to make it, you know, a date. So I thought a group thing."  
  
"Yeah. Sounds good. You want me there?"  
  
"You. And Lex."  
  
Lex and Clark looked at each other, both surprised. "Lex?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, since everyone knows that you two are friends, it'd keep the pressure off, but since . . .," Clark could hear Pete editing himself, "you know, it could also make it seem more like a date, if that's what she wants."  
  
Clark looked at Lex, who nodded. "We'd love to help. When and where do you need us?"  
  
"That was fast. Shouldn't you call Lex . . . oh, no. Lex is there, isn't he?"  
  
"Well, technically, I'm at Lex's."  
  
"And he can hear every word I said, can't he?"  
  
Lex took the phone from Clark. "Yes, Pete, I can. And just like Clark said, we'll be wherever, whenever."  
  
"Thanks."   
  
Lex handed the phone back to Clark. "So? Where? When?"  
  
"I was thinking, sort of lunch-ish tomorrow? I'll call Lana, then call you back and let you know where exactly and when."  
  
"Cool. We'll be waiting for your call." Clark hung up the phone and turned back to Lex. "Now, where were we . . ."  
  
Lex sighed heavily. "Talking about your vision." At Clark's disappointed look, he said, "As much as Pete thinks he understands, I don't think he'd appreciate it if he called back when we were in the middle of something."  
  
Clark gave him a crooked smile. "You're right."  
  
"Something that occurred to me while you were talking to Pete is that the glow you see is probably real."  
  
"Then why can't you see it?"  
  
"Because. You're not human, Clark."   
  
Clark's eyes widened.  
  
"I'm not saying that's wrong, but it's something that you're going to have to face. Humans have very poor eyesight, really. We can see only the smallest portion of the spectrum. You, evidently, can see," he shrugged, "a color that we can't."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"It's entirely possible."  
  
"So, how the heck do you go about testing someone to see if they can see . . . invisible colors?"  
  
Lex thought. "Dunno. But one of my friends from college is an opthalmologist, and I can give him a call and ask him. Purely theoretically, of course."  
  
Clark's cell phone rang. "Hey, Pete."  
  
"It's all set. Tomorrow at 1:00? At the diner on Third Street?"  
  
"We'll be there."  
  
"Great. Should I bring her something? You know, flowers, candy?"  
  
"Only if you want it to seem like a date." Lex offered. "If you want it to seem like a friend thing, then act like it's a friend thing."  
  
"Yeah. That makes sense." Pete was clearly nervous.  
  
"Pete? You want me to come over?" Clark, concerned for his friend's state of mind, asked.  
  
"No. I'm. I'm fine." Pete babbled.  
  
"All right then. We'll see you tomorrow at 1:00 then."  
  
"Yeah. See you then. Bye." With that, Pete hung up.  
  
"That's just so cute." Lex said with a smile as Clark put his cell phone down on the desk.  
  
"Yeah? Well, you were pretty cute in the early days of our relationship, too." Clark grinned.  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"Yeah, really. Wasn't it our second date when you babbled to me about the whole candy, flowers thing?"  
  
"Well, I mean, you're a guy. I didn't think you'd *want* those things, but that's sort of, you know, an old-school courtship ritual. And I felt you deserved the full courtship. I was conflicted."  
  
"Well, my mom to this day wonders who anonymously sent those flowers to her."  
  
"Solved the problem didn't it?"  
  
"Indeed it did. You know, my parents aren't expecting me back for another couple of hours."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Mm-hmm. I bet we can get a couple of laps in your pool in, and then a little post-exercise relaxation might be in order. . . ."  
  
"I like the way you think, Farmboy." Lex grinned as he pulled Clark to himself for a kiss.   
  
Technobabble summary: Um, well, I guess in a really mind-bending way, radio waves are a color that we can't see, so we have equipment that turns it into sound (http://classes.csumb.edu/CST/CST332-01/world/Mat/hvs.html).   
And sometimes things look the entirely wrong color to humans, like an ageratum flower that *should* be red, but is actually blue (http://www.cs.unc.edu/~majumder/color/node12.html).  
Which is true for Clark? :Shrugs: I haven't decided which makes more sense yet. 


	8. The NonDoubleDate and Its Aftermath

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 8, The Non-Double-Date and Its Aftermath  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows " Lying to the Kents"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing. I don't think.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
A/N: I've noticed that, when you're in a restaurant that has music, if the music's turned down below a certain level, you can only hear the songs you know. I've tested this theory several times. We first noticed it when some song that my hubby wanted me to hear was playing and he kept asking if I could hear it, which I couldn't. Later, I heard a song that I know, but hubby doesn't, and I could hear it, but he couldn't. I have since tested this theory on my mother when we were at Chili's together and the only song that we both could hear clearly was "Runaway." Give it a try yourself and let me know the results of your research.  
  
WARNINGS: mini-VotW. Yes, with kryptonite. I don't know what happened. I really was going to put this development off, but the planets aligned correctly or something and I just couldn't help it :shrugs:.  
  
==========  
  
"Bill, hi. It's Lex Luthor."  
  
"You don't need to give your last name, Lex. You're the only Lex I know. Plus I have caller ID." Bill's voice had a smile in it.  
  
Lex chuckled. "Force of habit. You wouldn't believe how many people, when I say just Lex, answer 'Lex, who?'"  
  
Lex decided to get right to the point. "I'm calling in a professional capacity, actually."  
  
"Having problems with your eyes?"  
  
"One of my employees said something odd to me on Friday and I just needed someone to bounce it off of. And since you're an ophthalmologist, you seemed to be the perfect candidate."  
  
"All right."  
  
"You know the new Beetles? That sort of . . . acid green color?"  
  
"Yeah . . ."  
  
"Well, this employee says that to him, that paint looks . . . blotchy. Uneven. Different shades of green."  
  
"Sounds like a hallucination. Or some kind of optical illusion."  
  
"Right. That's what I thought. But he says he's never had anything like this happen until those green cars came out. And it doesn't happen with anything else. Not other cars, not other colors of that same car, not painted walls or anything like that."  
  
"Have his eyes been tested?"  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Well, color deficiency springs to mind first."  
  
"But would this be a deficiency? Is there such a thing as a color surplus?"   
  
Bill chuckled. "Never heard of one before, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist."  
  
"How would you go about testing for something like a . . . color surplus?"  
  
"Short of dissecting the patient's eye?"  
  
"Yes. Short of dissecting the patient's eye."  
  
A long pause. "Some equipment's available. But it's very expensive and mostly experimental. I think there's one in Metropolis, but I'll have to get back to you on that."  
  
"Thanks, Bill. Oh, and one more thing."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are there any books on human vision you could recommend to me?"  
  
So it was that when Lex came to pick Clark up for their lunch with Pete and Lana, he refused to think of it as a double-date, Lex brought a copy of _Optics of the Human Eye_ with him. He was on the front porch of the Kent farmhouse reading when Jonathan walked up.  
  
"Doing a little reading there, Lex?" Jonathan leaned over and squinted at the title. "Sounds riveting."  
  
"Actually, it is."   
  
"This have anything to do with that project Clark said you were working on? The meteors?"  
  
"Yes, actually, it does." Lex made a mental note of the page number and closed the book. _How I'd love to just be able to say, 'I'm trying to figure out why Clark sees the rocks glowing,' but that's not to be, with all of the secrets we're keeping from each other. The right hand doesn't know what it's doing, much less what the left hand's doing, anymore. I wish there was something - anything - that I could do about some of these damned secrets._   
  
Clark interrupted this train of thought. "Hey. Ready to go?"  
  
"Yeah. As ready as I'll ever be." Lex said with a smile that didn't touch his eyes.  
  
"I'll see you after lunch, Dad." Clark smiled at Jonathan, but Lex saw the unease in his eyes, mirroring his own.  
  
Together they walked to Lex's car. "What're you reading?" Clark asked.  
  
Wordlessly, Lex handed the book to him.  
  
"The human eye? Lex, I hate to break this to you, but . . ."  
  
"I know. But if I'm going to be studying your eyesight, I have to have something to compare it to, right?"   
  
They climbed into the car together, and then Clark dropped his pretense. "All right, Lex. What's going on? Have I done something wrong?"  
  
Lex shook his head and smiled warmly. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just distracted. What do you know about why your Dad doesn't like me?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "He says it's something about how your Dad does business."  
  
Lex smile turned wry. "Interesting way to put it."  
  
Lex drove a decent way from the Kent farm and pulled over to the side of the road. "Clark?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" Clark asked in a tone that Lex knew all too well as the 'wounded pride act' that his father had accused him of on so many occasions.  
  
"I know why your Dad doesn't like me. But it's, what's the phrase? not my secret to tell. I wish I could, but the full story needs to come from your father."  
  
Clark looked confused. "But won't that give him a chance to . . ."  
  
"What? Get the upper hand? Something tells me he won't use it, though. You'll get the plain, unvarnished truth from him. And that's something you need."  
  
He put his hand on Clark's arm. As Clark turned to him, Lex pulled him into a hug, kissing him gently. "I *am* sorry."  
  
"I know." Clark smiled gently. "So, tell me about your research."  
  
"Two words. MR microscopy."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You're familiar with MRIs right?"   
  
"Um, sort of. I think I've seen something about it on TV."  
  
"You've seen those really detailed black-and-white pictures of, you know, brains and things?"  
  
"Yeah." Clark nodded.  
  
"Well, that's MRI. MR microscopy is the same thing, only on a, well, microscopic level."  
  
"So you want to look at my cells?"  
  
"We're going to have to. According to this," he tapped the book, "human color vision is contained in the cone cells in the retina. I'd like to get a look at what's on your retina."  
  
"And this MR microscopy's the way to do it?"  
  
"Unless you want me to dissect your eye." Lex answered with a grin.  
  
Clark returned his smile. "I think I'll stick with the MR thing."  
  
"I figured you would." Lex turned onto Main Street and kept driving. "Anyway, this is a new, experimental machine. MR microscopy has less definition than regular MRI, but this new machine promises to give *more* definition. All of the organelles of your cells in living . . . black and white."   
  
Lex pulled into the parking lot behind the diner and, looking around to make sure no one was there to see them, they kissed quickly and then got out of the car.  
  
They walked together to the front of the building and entered the diner, where Pete and Lana were already waiting in one of the booths. When Clark and Lex reached the booth, Lana stood and walked to Pete's side of the table, sitting next to him.   
  
"Well, so much for playing footsy under the table." Clark whispered.  
  
"We might be able to manage. How flexible are you?" Lex grinned.  
  
With difficulty, Clark managed to avoid laughing out loud as they reached the table.   
  
"Hey, Pete. Lana." Clark said as he slid into the booth.  
  
"Clark. Lex." Lana responded with one of her Homecoming Queen smiles. " When Pete said that you'd be joining us, I was surprised, Lex. I'm glad you didn't have to work."  
  
"Oh, but I am working." Lex responded. "Not on paperwork, no, but Clark here helped me come up with a new idea that I'm currently researching. Fortunately, I can do that anywhere. I have the books I need in my car."  
  
Lana seemed slightly overwhelmed. "Oh. I see." She nodded.  
  
"Part of the danger of being friends with a scientist." Clark smiled. "You get to hear all about his latest ideas."   
"I didn't think it was that much of a chore for you." Lex grinned.  
  
"Oh, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it."  
  
The waitress came by, and they ordered their beverages and appetizers.  
  
"You know," Lex said, "The four of us should go up to Metropolis sometime. Go to the zoo or something."  
  
Lana brightened at this. "I love the Metropolis Zoo! It'd have to be an all-day thing, though. I mean, three hours there, three hours back . . ."  
  
"Not the way I drive. Usually." Lex added this last when Lana looked at him wide-eyed with shock.  
  
The waitress came with their beverages and appetizers, one appetizer per diner, and Clark and Lex looked at each other for a moment. They didn't go to restaurants often, but Lex had carryout delivered to his house for them frequently, and they had always shared an appetizer before. They didn't want to freak Lana out, and they didn't want to hurt Pete by moving their friendly lunch into "date" territory, so they sat there, side by side, their thighs brushing together, eating their . . . separate . . . appetizers.  
  
Chloe came by then. "Hey, guys. Did someone plan a party and forget my invitation?"  
  
Clark winced at the hurt in Chloe's eyes and tone.   
  
"Chloe! Well, this was just a sort of spur of the moment thing, you know . . ." Pete tried to explain feebly.  
  
Chloe looked around the table, at Pete and Lana, then at Lex and Clark. There was a light in her eyes when she looked at Clark that he'd only seen when she was puzzling something out. She was invariably right.  
  
_Oh, God. She's onto us._ Clark thought, his heart sinking.  
  
But then Chloe winked at him and grinned. "You mind if I join you?"  
  
Clark, wondering what the wink had been for, was the first to respond. "No. Go ahead."  
  
No sooner were the words out of Clark's mouth than Chloe had pulled a chair from a nearby table over to the head of the booth. With a wicked grin, she snagged a cheese fry from Lex's plate.   
  
_All right, Chloe. What are you thinking about?_ Clark wondered as the waitress came around again to take their orders.  
  
"Separate checks, please." Pete clarified for her.  
  
"Nonsense." Lex said with a smile. "Why do you invite the billionaire's son to lunch, unless you want him to pick up the tab?"  
  
"That's not it at all," Pete hastened to assure him, but then he realized that Lex was kidding. "Very funny."   
  
"Yes, I was kidding." Lex looked up at the waitress. "But I really did mean for you to give me the check for all of us."   
  
"Very well, sir." The waitress said as she collected their menus and left the table.  
  
"Clark, come over here." Chloe said as she stood.  
  
Lex stood to allow Clark to follow Chloe.  
  
Once they were outside, Chloe said, "I know why you didn't invite me along."  
  
"Why?" Clark asked in a tone calculated to make Chloe explain.  
  
"Well, I'm a fifth wheel on your little double-date." Chloe grinned and her eyes dared him to deny it.  
  
"What? How could you . . .?" Clark spluttered.  
  
"It's all right. I've known about the two of you for at least a month now, though I think it's been going on longer."  
  
"Two months." Clark responded without thinking. "I mean . . ."  
  
"Two months? Since January. I'll hand it to you, Kent. You've done really well hiding it. But I've known you for four years now and I don't think that many other people could possibly have guessed that you and Lex are . . . more than friends."  
  
"Pete knows."  
  
"Pete knows? You told Pete and not me?"  
  
Clark shook his head. "No. Lex needed Pete to cover for us when we went out of town last weekend . . ."  
  
"The two of you went out of town together? You must be pretty serious about each other."  
  
Clark shrugged, blushing. "Yeah. I guess so."  
  
"So, finish telling me what's up."  
  
"Well, Pete covered for us, and he sort of guessed why Lex wanted to take me away. And that's why we didn't invite you. Pete wanted it to be a just friends looking thing, but he wanted that with-a-dating-couple vibe in case Lana decided that she wanted to make it a date."  
  
"Ah. So I really am horning in, then."  
  
Clark shook his head. "No. We really didn't mean to leave you out. It really did just happen that way. You're welcome to stay and eat with us."  
  
"You're sweet, Clark." Chloe gave him a hug.  
  
"Just don't flirt with me."   
  
"Lex gets jealous, huh?"  
  
"I can only hope . . ."  
  
They walked back into the diner together and Chloe took her chair at the end of the table, while Clark slid right into the booth next to Lex so that he was between Lex and Chloe.  
  
Moments later, their food arrived.  
  
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, until Clark realized that Lex was . . . chanting under his breath. " I was havin' this out-of-body experience, Saw these cosmic beings . . ." He looked up at the other four. "What? It's _Cosmic Thing._ B-52s?"  
  
They all shook their heads slowly.   
  
"Welcome to the generation gap, apparently. You can't hear that?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Afraid not."  
  
Lex looked at Clark. "I'm not hallucinating, am I?"  
  
"Probably not." Clark grinned at him.  
  
Lex shrugged. "Well, the B-52s are pretty mild, as hallucinations go." Then he continued eating, tapping his foot to the music that only he could hear.  
  
They continued eating, talking about their classes, Chloe peppering Lex with questions from her conversations with her father about the plant, Lex offering sage advice as a survivor of high school and college.   
  
Suddenly, Lana gasped. "I hear it now."   
  
Everyone paused in their conversation. "What is it?" Lex asked.  
  
Lana shook her head. "_Hero._ Enrique Iglesias? You know?"  
  
"I do indeed." Lex said smiling and looking at Clark.  
  
Suddenly, all five of them could hear it, as clearly as if Enrique were sitting at the next booth. Lex reached over beneath the table and unobtrusively squeezed Clark's hand. Clark looked back and smiled as he squeezed back.  
  
Suddenly, the song ended, and the music faded back into incoherence.  
  
"That was really weird." Chloe said.  
  
"Never had anything like that happen before." Pete agreed.  
  
"You know," Lex offered, "I bet it's a perception thing. Like how you can gloss over errors because you're reading what you *think* is there, rather than what really is, or how you never notice the blind spot in your eye because your brain fills in what's missing. If you know the song, you can fill in the notes you'd otherwise not be able to hear."  
  
Lana nodded, smiling. "That makes perfect sense."  
  
"Leave it to an engineer to explain it." Clark said with a smile that made Lex want to kiss him.  
  
They finished their meals and then split up, each of the four teenagers agreeing to check with their respective guardians to see if they would be free for a trip to the Metropolis Zoo the next Saturday.  
  
Chloe gave Clark a wry grin and a wink, and then headed off for home as Pete and Lana went towards Nell's flower shop and Clark and Lex headed for Lex's car.   
  
"Oh, now that's weird." Clark said.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"I'm still having that edge-of-hearing music thing going on."  
  
"What are you hearing?"  
  
"Britney Spears."  
  
Lex grimaced. "Heaven forbid." He paused. "Nope. Don't hear anything. Which song?"  
  
"It's that hit me one more time song."  
  
"I know that song. God knows you couldn't get away from it a few years ago. I should be able to hear it. But I can't. I wonder why not."  
  
Clark shook his head. "Dunno."  
  
"I'm wondering if you're coming into another power." Lex mused aloud. "Let's go for a walk and see what we can find."  
  
They returned to Main Street and began to walk slowly, while Clark listened for hints of anything beyond the range of normal human hearing. Suddenly, he perked up. "It's Lana. She's yelling."  
  
"What's she saying?"  
  
"'Nell! No!'" Before Lex could respond, Clark was off and running towards the flower shop, Lex trailing along behind him.  
  
The flower shop was a scene of utter chaos. Nell, Pete and Lana were all unconscious, and the shop was being wrecked by a woman that Clark recognized, Jenny McIntyre. Her wheelchair lay unused, blocking the entrance, but Clark was able to clear it easily and headed right for Jenny.   
  
He placed a hand on Jenny's arm, trying to calm her down. "Jenny. Miss McIntyre. What's wrong?" Immediately he was hit by waves of nausea and knew that somehow Jenny McIntyre had been mutated by the meteors.   
  
The woman was hysterical. She easily pushed one of the counters to one side, babbling incoherently. The only word Clark could pick up was Nell's name. Clark knew he couldn't knock her unconscious without risking harm to one of his friends. Or to Nell, come to that. So instead, he came around behind her, grabbing her arms and holding her pinned that way. She continued to struggle and yell, but Clark was barely able to restrain her. When she thrashed once, Clark saw the glow of meteors and realized that she was wearing a pin made from them, just like Lana's necklace.  
  
Lex arrived, "What can I do to help?"  
  
Fighting the nausea that almost overtook him, Clark yelled back, "Call 9-1-1 and ask for an ambulance. We need a sedative or tranquilizer or something here."  
  
The next minutes were a nightmare of Clark holding Jenny motionless while growing weaker and sicker by the moment. Finally, an eternity later, the paramedics arrived. Lex quickly explained what had happened, and they came in with a hypodermic needle and, as Clark used his last bit of willpower to hold her steady, stuck her with it. She was out in seconds.  
  
Clark, feeling as weak as a kitten, crawled into the corner until the green of his skin could fade. Lex directed the paramedics, who radioed for another ambulance. Soon, Lana and Nell were also strapped to gurneys and loaded into the second ambulance. Pete had started to regain consciousness.  
  
He sat up. "What's going on?"  
  
Lex crouched down next to him. "Jenny McIntyre's off to Metropolis General. Lana and Nell are both going to Lowell County, and Clark is over there in the corner. He needs your help."  
  
"Clark? What happened to him?"   
  
"No time to explain. But he rescued all of you from Jenny. Now go and keep an eye on him while I bring my car around."  
  
Pete crawled over to the corner where Clark huddled, shaking. "Clark? What's wrong?" then Pete caught a glimpse of Clark's skin. "Jesus! You're green! What happened?"  
  
Clark looked up at Pete, pain shining from his blue eyes. "Pete - I - " and passed out.  
  
Minutes later, Lex came around with the car, and Pete helped him carry the unconscious Clark and lay him in the back seat.  
  
"He's got to get to the hospital."   
  
"No." Lex shook his head firmly. "We can't. We have to take him home."  
  
"But . . ."  
  
"No. The Kents can handle this." _I hope,_ he added silently.  
  
Lex and Pete climbed into the front seat of Lex's car and they took Clark home.  
  
Martha ran to the car as Pete and Lex lifted Clark from the back seat. "Oh, my God! Clark!" Martha arrived at the side of her stricken son, and Lex breathed a sigh of relief that Clark's color had faded from the virulent green to a color more akin to seasickness.  
  
"He took on another mutant." Lex informed her as they stepped up to the porch. "If I'd only known what was going on before it was too late. That damned allergy." Lex added for effect, to convince the Kents that he was truly in the dark about the origin of Clark's sensitivity to the meteorites.  
  
Once Lex and Pete had taken Clark upstairs and deposited him on his bed, Jonathan showed up. "I saw Lex and Pete coming in - carrying Clark?" He asked before he realized that Lex and Pete were in the room.   
  
"Boys." He addressed them tersely. "You can go on home now. Mrs. Kent and I have things under control."  
  
Lex, not wanting to contaminate Clark's room with another in the endless parade of conflicts with Jonathan Kent, stepped out into the hallway, drawing Pete behind him.  
  
"You're not going to leave, are you?" Pete asked, astonished.  
  
Lex shook his head. "No. We're going to go downstairs and get chairs from the kitchen. Then we're going to bring them upstairs and wait right here in the hallway until Clark's out of the woods."  
  
Pete grinned at Lex and together they headed for the kitchen.  
  
Meanwhile, Clark's color was improving, but he hadn't regained consciousness. Then he began to call out, softly, "Lex . . . "  
  
Jonathan and Martha looked at each other and Martha could see the anger building in Jonathan's eyes.   
  
"Maybe it's not that bad," Martha insisted gently.  
  
But as moments ticked by, and as Clark began to call for Lex again, Jonathan's temper hit the boiling point. Clenching his jaw, he stomped from the room.   
  
He was completely surprised to find Lex and Pete waiting patiently in the hallway, seated on chairs brought up from the kitchen.   
"Clark's asking for you." Jonathan said, never meeting Lex's eyes, for if he had, he would have seen relief and joy washing over Lex's face at this.   
  
Jonathan waited until Lex had gone into Clark's bedroom and closed the door, then he advanced on Pete. "Pete . . ."  
  
Pete didn't like the deliberate way Jonathan approached him. "Yes, Mr. Kent?"   
  
"What, exactly, is the nature of the relationship between Lex Luthor and my son?"  
  
Pete's eyes went wide as he debated internally. Finally, deciding that there was no keeping it a secret anymore, with Clark calling out for Lex. "They're dating, sir. Have been for a while now."  
  
This made Jonathan's blood boil. He'd always known that Lionel had planned . . . something to repay him for what he'd done, but to have his son set out to seduce Clark. That was beyond the pale. He couldn't take it for one. More. Second.  
  
Without another word, Jonathan left the house, leaving Pete staring after him.  
  
Lex perched on the edge of Clark's bed, holding Clark's pale, cold hand in his. "Clark. You can't leave me like this. I couldn't go on without you. You hold the mortgage on my soul."  
  
Lex felt a warm hand on his shoulder and looked up to lock eyes with Martha. The pain that Lex felt, he saw mirrored in Martha's eyes.   
  
Martha's hand tightened on Lex's shoulder and Lex reached up to cover her hand with his own, drawing some measure of strength from the connection. He then tried to will Martha's and his own combined strength to Clark.   
  
"Lex." Clark said simply.  
  
Lex looked up at Martha, who stood, amazed, as she looked down at her son. "This is the first time he's sounded . . . comfortable since he's been here. It seems that you're good for him."  
  
Lex, stunned, looked up at Martha, never releasing Clark's hand.   
  
"How long have you and my son been in love?"  
  
The question took Lex by surprise. "I've loved Clark for as long as I've known him, I think. I first felt . . . a connection to him when he saved my life by the river. Clark, I don't know. We got closer really gradually, until Christmas."  
  
"What happened on Christmas?"  
  
Lex looked chagrined. "He came by to drop off your baked goods, and stayed, for a while."  
  
"I remember that. And then when he came home, he suggested that we invite you over for New Year's Eve."  
  
"Did he? He never told me. Well, anyway, a song that reminded me of him came on and I sort of . . . asked him to dance with me."  
  
Martha's jaw dropped.  
  
"Well, he wanted to kiss me, but I told him no. I said that I wanted to wait and not risk our friendship."  
  
"And?"  
  
"So I told him to wait until January and tell me then if he still wanted to kiss me. He did."  
  
"I admit that I might not want to know this, but how long into January did you wait?"  
  
"You're right. You don't want to know." Lex's eyes shuttered momentarily, until he focused on Clark's pale face again, then they flared with life -- a life dedicated to Clark.  
  
"Lex." Martha put her hand on his free hand. "It doesn't matter. As my mother-in-law would have said, 'that horse has already left the barn.'"  
  
Lex looked up at Martha sheepishly, the left side of his mouth quirking up in a smile.   
  
Moments later, he spoke again. "You know that some cultures believe that people are born without a soul, and they have to earn one?"  
  
"Do you think that's true of you?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "I don't know. I'm an engineer, not a theologian. But," he paused as he thought, "if it is true, then I think I've made a lot of headway in earning mine, thanks to him."   
  
They lapsed into silence for a few long minutes, then Martha said, "Jonathan's been gone an awfully long time. Maybe I should check on him."  
  
"You can go on ahead. We'll be fine here." Lex assured her.  
  
Martha stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her. "I didn't know you were here, Pete."  
  
"Yeah. Well, Lex and I were waiting to see how Clark does . . ."  
  
"He's still unconscious. Why didn't you come into the room with Lex?"  
  
"I just sorta figured they'd want to be alone."   
  
Martha did the math on this comment quickly and realized that Pete had known about Lex and Clark's relationship. She decided not to press the issue. There were more important things involved. "Have you seen Mr. Kent?"  
  
"He's gone."  
  
"Gone where?"  
  
Pete shrugged. "Dunno. He asked me about Lex and Clark." He stopped, wide-eyed, at the realization of what he'd just said.  
  
"And then what happened?"  
  
"He left."  
  
"Maybe he just went for a walk." Martha said hopefully.  
  
Pete shook his head. "I heard the truck engine start after he left."  
  
Worried, Martha returned to her son's bedside.   
  
"Did you find out where he is?"  
  
"No. Pete told me that Jonathan left. In the truck. Right after Pete told him that you and Clark were . . . seeing each other."  
  
Lex was suddenly furious. He knew that Clark should never have told Pete the truth. "He told Mr. Kent? I'll kill him!"   
  
Martha put a restraining hand on Lex's arm. "You saw how Jonathan was when he left the room. Would you be able to keep a secret when faced by that?"  
  
Lex, chagrined, sighed. "I'd like to think I would, but probably not."  
  
Then a horrifying thought occurred to him. "And if Mr. Kent's gone where I think he has, then, everything might be about to fall apart."  
  
Jonathan didn't remember the drive to Metropolis. He didn't remember getting on I-70. He didn't remember exiting on Washington Street. He didn't remember turning onto Commerce. The first thing he remembered was getting out of his truck in the parking garage of the LuthorCorp tower and buzzing the intercom to contact building security.  
  
A tinny voice came from the box. "Security."  
  
"I need to speak with Lionel Luthor."  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Luthor isn't available right now."  
  
"Call him and tell him that Jonathan Kent is here to see him. He'll see me."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Jonathan waited a couple of minutes, until the security guard came to the door. "Come with me, sir."  
  
The guard walked Jonathan to an elevator that stood open, waiting for them, and together, they stepped into the elevator. The guard put key into a slot and pushed the button marked _P_. P for penthouse, Jonathan guessed.  
  
After the elevator left them out on the penthouse floor of the building, the security guard went back downstairs, leaving Jonathan alone in a practically-empty hallway. The only things there were a small table with a floral arrangement sitting on it, and a door. Jonathan knocked.  
  
A few seconds later, Lionel opened the door. "Ah, Mr. . . . Kent, isn't it?"  
  
"You know damned well who I am." Jonathan snapped.  
  
"Yes. I do." Lionel sighed. "Well, come in and let's get this over."  
  
Jonathan walked into the apartment, noting the opulent furnishings and wallpaper, all in shades of dark blue. "You've remodeled." Jonathan said shortly.  
  
"Well, it has been, what is it? Nine years?" Lionel said sarcastically. "Oh, yes, nine years, four months and two days."  
  
Jonathan winced at the bitterness in Lionel's tone. "I just came to tell you that you won. Whatever you want, you can have it."  
  
"Really? And what did I do to deserve this honor?"  
  
"Nothing. Yet. I want you to make sure that your son leaves my son alone."  
  
"Leave your . . ." Lionel repeated softly, then he laughed dangerously. "Oh, of course. I should've known that you'd put two and two together and realize that someone like my Lex wouldn't normally befriend someone like, what is your boy's name again? Clarence? Cleveland?"  
  
"Clark."  
  
"Ah, yes. Clark. Such an unusual name."  
  
Something about what Lionel had said set off alarms in Jonathan's brain. He replayed their conversation in his head, and one word stuck out. _'Befriend'? But if Lex is only following his father's orders, then he should know that it's gone further than that. Unless this is just *Lex's* plan, and Lionel has nothing to do with it. Can I take the chance of telling Lionel something that could be that damaging to Clark if he doesn't already know?_  
  
Jonathan almost just left, but suddenly realized that if he did, it might make Lionel curious about Clark's relationship with Lex and put both of the boys in danger. So instead, he said, "What can I do that will make you call your son off?"  
  
Lionel smiled coldly. "Well, as much as I'd love to make you make a public statement taking responsibility for your actions, but it has been so long since then. I'll let you off easy. Just let me hear the words I've longed to hear for the past nine years."  
  
It took every ounce of willpower in Jonathan's body to force him to open his mouth and say the words that Lionel demanded. "I'm sorry I killed your wife and daughter." 


	9. Jonathan's Tale

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 9, Jonathan's Tale  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "The Non-Double-Date and Its Aftermath"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Mentions of assorted VotWs  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.   
  
==========  
  
Two and a half hours after Jonathan left, Clark woke up like he'd never been unconscious. The first word out of his mouth was, "Lex," followed immediately by, "what are you doing in my bedroom?"  
  
"You don't remember anything? Ginny . . . Jenny . . . "  
  
Clark's eyes widened. "Jenny McIntyre! Is she all right? What about Lana? And Pete?"  
  
"Well, in reverse order, Pete's fine. He helped me get you home, and your mom is right now taking him to the hospital to see Lana, who hopefully is fine as well. As for Ms. McIntyre, well, you kept her contained until the paramedics could sedate her. I don't know anything more than that. And since you were so concerned about Nell Potter." Lex winked. "I think that she's probably fine, too."  
  
As Lex expected, Clark blushed at Lex's joking rebuke.  
  
"I was kidding about Nell." Lex leaned forward to kiss Clark. "She's *not* my favorite person. How are *you* doing?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "All right, I guess."  
  
Lex released Clark's hand and stood. "Scoot over."  
  
Clark did as Lex requested, looking shocked. "But, Lex. My folks . . ."  
  
"Well, what was it your mother told me your paternal grandmother would have said? 'That horse has already left the barn'?"  
  
As Clark curled around his lover and yawned, he asked. "How do you mean that?"  
  
"I mean it in the sense that your folks already know about us."  
  
Clark rested his head on Lex's shoulder. He knew he should panic at this news, but he was warm, and lethargic, and it just. didn't. matter. "Apparently, I've missed quite a lot while I was out."  
  
"Yeah." Lex chuckled. "We can credit Pete with that."  
  
Clark lifted his head. "Pete?"  
  
"Well, you were calling out for me in your delirium, and so your dad asked Pete why you'd be doing that, and Pete told him."  
  
"And how did Mom find out?"  
  
"Well, I guess she found out by watching me holding your hand." Clark could have sworn that Lex blushed as he said this.  
  
Clark grinned and put his head back on Lex's shoulder. "I could see how that would tip her off. Now, let's see. Who knows about us now? Pete, my mom, my dad, Chloe . . ."  
  
"Chloe knows?"  
  
"Didn't I tell you?"  
  
"No. I'd've remembered that."  
  
Yawning again, Clark responded. "Oh. Yeah. Well, that's why she pulled me aside this afternoon at lunch. To tell me that she understood why she hadn't been invited -- the whole non-double-date vibe that Pete was going for."  
  
"Cripes. I hope we never have to organize any kind of conspiracy. We'd be miserable damn failures at it."  
  
Clark lifted his head. "Eh. Maybe we'd have better luck if it were . . . less personal than the fact that we're in love."  
  
"I guess." Lex responded as he changed the subject. "So, can you tell me the story of this Jenny whoever?"  
  
"It's a pretty sad story, actually. She was going to be Smallville's great hope for Olympic stardom. A sprinter. But it all ended when she was held up while on vacation in Keystone City."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"She got shot. Ended up in a wheelchair."  
  
"Now that's just odd."  
  
Clark could see the wheels turning in Lex's head. "All right, I'll bite. What's odd?"  
  
"Let's see . . . Greg became a bug, Tina's soft bone problem went away, Jodie lost weight, Harry became young, Jenny regained the use of her legs." He looked up at Clark, one side of his mouth quirking up in a smile. "Do you suppose the meteors are granting people's wishes?"  
  
"In a world where you're in love with me, I think that I'd believe that anything's possible."  
  
Lex kissed Clark then, long and thoroughly. They were interrupted by the sound of Martha clearing her throat.   
  
"Mom. Hi." Clark said, his complexion turning redder by the moment.  
  
"I'm just glad I already knew about this." Martha said. "Otherwise, you'd have a whole peck of trouble on your hands."   
  
She walked over to Clark's side of the bed and put a hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"All right." He nodded, closing his eyes just a shade longer than necessary. "I haven't stood up yet, though."  
  
"Well, don't." Lex and Martha responded simultaneously, then grinned at each other.  
  
Clark sighed melodramatically, silently thanking whatever powers controlled his life for two people who were so concerned about him. Three, actually, but Jonathan was something of a wild card. Not that Clark doubted his father's love, but he worried about how overly-protective his father tended to be, especially where Lex was concerned.  
  
"Where is Dad, anyway?" Clark asked, as he yawned.   
  
Martha and Lex looked at each other.   
  
"I don't know." Lex said.  
  
"You usually lie better than that, Lex."  
  
Lex widened his eyes, apparently attempting to project the impression of honesty more strongly. "Honest. I don't."   
  
Clark looked slowly from his lover to his mother and back. "All right, where do you *suspect* he is?"  
  
"You want to field that one?" Lex pleaded with Martha.  
  
"Clark," Martha said in her best 'soothing mom' tone. "It doesn't matter where your father is. He'll be home soon and then we'll have enough to contend with."  
  
Clark's eyes lost their focus as his eyelids became heavier. "That's not a fair answer, Mom." He said, forcing his eyelids open.  
  
"Go to sleep, Clark." Lex laid a reassuring hand on Clark's cheek.  
  
"But . . ." Clark blinked slowly, fighting his heavy eyelids again.   
  
"We'll talk about it later."   
  
Clark couldn't respond. He'd fallen asleep.  
  
He was startled awake by the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked. Instinctively, he threw himself in front of Lex as his eyes and mind focused on the threat. "Dad!"  
  
"Get out of the way, son." Jonathan said, murderously calm.  
  
"No." Clark kept his voice level. "You're not going to hurt Lex, Dad."  
  
"You don't know what you're saying, what kind of snake you're protecting there. You're just a kid, Clark.  
  
"What do I have to give you to get you to leave our family alone?" This was directed at Lex.  
  
"What do you think he wants?" Clark asked his father.   
  
"I think he wants the same thing his father wanted."  
  
"What do you . . . Um, Clark, you're sort of reducing the power of my negotiating position here." Lex said from his place behind Clark.  
  
Clark shook his head. "I'm not moving until *he* puts the gun down." He never took his eyes off of Jonathan.  
  
Jonathan met Clark's cool gaze almost as if trying to assess whether to call his son's bluff. Then, slowly, he crouched down and laid the gun gently on the floor at his feet.   
  
Clark stood and three people flinched as one as he swayed under a wave of queasyweakshakiness. He concentrated and soon had righted himself. Clark took a couple of awkward steps towards the gun and picked it up gingerly, stepping out into the hallway and laying it down pointing away from the door of the bedroom. "Guns make me nervous." He mumbled as he collapsed onto the bed, pale but otherwise unharmed by his trek.  
  
Lex shot daggers at Jonathan with his eyes, but his demeanor was otherwise unflustered. "So, what did my father want from you, Mr. Kent?"   
  
"A confession."   
  
"Let me guess." Lex said, seemingly cool, but Clark could hear the tension in his voice. "He wanted you to confess to the murder of my mother and sister."  
  
Clark and Martha started. Martha silently looked to Jonathan for reassurance that Lex was lying.  
  
"And what do you think I did?"  
  
Lex was on firmer ground now. "In hopes that Dad would call me off, you gave it to him."  
  
"And since you evidently aren't acting on your father's orders, you want what? The same?"  
  
Lex shook his head. "I don't want a confession. I want the truth."  
  
Suddenly, Jonathan relaxed, as if he were a marionette whose strings had been cut. "The truth? You really want the truth?"  
  
"Yes, Mr. Kent. I'd like nothing more than to hear the truth."  
  
Jonathan looked around and, seeing the empty chairs sitting in the hallway, pulled one into the bedroom and sat. Martha, curious about what would happen next, followed suit.  
  
Jonathan sighed and rubbed his eyes, as if steeling himself. "All right. You asked for it, so here goes. It was November. Snow had fallen, but the ground wasn't quite cold enough for it to it to stick, so the ground was covered with this cold slush. The bank had assigned our loan and I had to travel into Metropolis to talk to the new bank about it.   
  
"It was just past dark and I was coming out of the meeting, driving up Commerce back towards the expressway. I was going past the LuthorCorp tower parking garage when she came out. She must have been going at least fifty. I swerved and avoided her, but she swerved, too, and fishtailed on the half-melted snow. She hit a lamppost.   
  
"I stopped my truck and got out to see if I could help. Your mother, Lily, was still conscious. She said two words to me, 'my daughter.' I went around to the passenger side and opened the door to try to save, Lena, wasn't that her name? But it was too late.   
  
"The paramedics came, and the police, and the police took me back to the station for questioning. I told them the truth, that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I guess their investigation said the same, because your father - Lionel - tried his hardest to get the police to charge me with *something,* but they couldn't.  
  
"He even sued me for negligence, but our insurance company got that one dismissed out of hand. I'd do anything I could to bring them back, son, and I wish I hadn't been there at all, but I didn't *do* anything to cause their deaths."  
  
The four people in the room were silent for a long moment. Clark looked over and saw tears falling from his lover's eyes. He took Lex's hand, squeezing it gently, willing as much strength to Lex as he could.   
  
"Thank you." Lex finally managed to croak out. "I needed to hear that. I was away at school when it happened, and all my father would tell me was that some farmer 'John something-or-other' had killed them. Once I grew up, I looked up the files. What made the police drop the charges was that my father could buy the police, but he couldn't buy physics. The exit from the garage is blind. You can't see a damn thing until you're practically out on the street. There's a mirror there now to take care of the blind spot, but it wasn't there then. My mom was in a hurry to leave and didn't take the corner carefully enough. It would have happened once she hit the slush anyhow. Especially considering . . ." His voice failed him.  
  
Clark squeezed Lex's hand more tightly, willing him even more strength for whatever he had to say next.   
  
"Considering that she had just caught my father with Nell Potter."  
  
This was greeted with complete silence.   
  
"How could you know that, if you weren't there?" Jonathan asked, suspicion tingeing his voice.  
  
"I told you. I read the police report. Nell was my father's alibi, and when they were together, they weren't playing chess." Lex concluded archly.  
  
"I think that's more than I needed to know." Martha opined.  
  
Then silence descended once again.  
  
Finally, Jonathan spoke. "So if you don't want a confession, what do you want?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "What I want most is something I already have -- Clark's love. My second highest wish? Your blessing."  
  
The shutters descended over Jonathan's eyes again. "Why?"  
  
"I love Clark. Why do *you* find it so hard to believe that?"  
  
"Clark's a child. He's not capable of knowing what he wants."  
  
"He's above the legal age of consent."  
  
"And I'm sure you made certain of that before you . . . ." Jonathan couldn't force himself to finish the sentence.  
  
Lex laughed shortly. "Actually, Mr. Kent, I was crazy enough for him not to care. *He* is the one who ensured that he was of age."  
  
Jonathan looked at Clark. "Is that true?"  
  
Clark nodded. "Yes."  
  
Jonathan looked confused by this turn of events, but he nevertheless soldiered on. "Well, that might be. But I still don't trust you."  
  
"I didn't expect you would." Clark could sense the resignation in Lex's tone as he said this.  
  
Jonathan stood and, his shoulders bowed as if under a great burden, left the room, picking up the shotgun as he passed it in the hallway.   
  
Clark tensed, waiting for his father's next move, but he relaxed when he heard Jonathan going down the stairs.  
  
Martha stood and, glancing out into the hallway after her husband, obviously concerned for Jonathan's state of mind, walked to Clark's bed. "You stay as late as you need to, Lex. I'll handle Mr. Kent." She kissed her fingertips and pressed them to Clark's forehead and then ran her fingers quickly through his hair before hurrying after her husband.  
  
Clark listened until he heard the murmurs of of his parents' conversation outside. He relaxed into the sound, trying to pick up their conversation, like he'd done with Lana's voice earlier that day.   
  
He first heard his mother's voice. " . . . glad you put that gun away."  
  
"You thought I'd go after Lex again?" Scoffing.  
  
"No. I was afraid . . ." Hesitant.  
  
"That I might hurt myself?" Shocked.  
  
At this, Clark allowed his parents their privacy and turned his attention back to Lex. "You never talk about your mom and sister."  
  
Lex shrugged. "Too painful." He said with simple honesty.  
  
"Well, if you ever need to talk, you know I'm here, right?"  
  
Lex nodded and he smiled sadly. "Yes. Just like I'm always here for you."  
  
Clark relaxed back against his pillows, curving around Lex's body.  
  
"She loved lilies, you know. Stargazer lilies. I still think of her when I smell them. Lena's favorite flower was simpler. Violets. They matched her eyes exactly, but I don't think she knew that. They were just . . . bright, cheerful, beautiful. Like her. It's why I have so much purple in my wardrobe. For Lena.  
  
"I have to go back to Dad's penthouse and get my old photo album. Maybe we can do that when we go to Metropolis next weekend. If your folks let you go after this." Lex curled up against Clark.  
  
"I'm sure they'll let us. Well, Mom will. She's letting you stay the night, after all."  
  
"Well, we'll see how supportive she is in the morning."  
  
"Everything will be fine. I promise." Clark picked up Lex's hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss it. "So, I guess you must have gotten your red hair from your mom?"  
  
Lex nodded. "But Lena was blonde. I'm not sure where that came from. I mean, I know it's a recessive gene and all, but it's just weird that I'd get my mom's hair but she wouldn't have. I wonder if I'd've hated my hair so much if I'd known that it'd be all I'd have of her someday."  
  
"You hated your hair?"  
  
"Oh, *God,* yes. Did you ever see that kids' program thing of Anne of Green Gables? With what's-her-name? Megan Follows?"  
  
"Yeah. We saw it in grade school. Don't remember much about it, though."  
  
Lex chuckled. "All you have to remember is the scene where she cracks a slate over a boy's head for calling her 'Carrots.' That paled in comparison to how I felt about my hair. It wasn't just orange -- it was curly. My dad was only *just* able to convince my mom not to let it grow into ringlets."  
  
Clark couldn't help laughing. "Red ringlets?"  
  
"Yes. Don't laugh. Farmboy."  
  
Clark pillowed his head on Lex's shoulder and yawned. "Good night, Lex."  
  
Lex kissed the top of Clark's head. "Good night, Clark." 


	10. Monday

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 10, Monday  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "Jonathan's Tale"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.   
  
A/N: Lena is based on a real DC comics character, Lena Thorul, who was Lex Luthor's younger sister. She was, in fact, blonde, and she also had ESP. The original Lena Thorul grew to adulthood, married and had a son, Val, who had telekinesis. That Lena was erased in the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline and the current "Lena" was Lex's foster-sister from his days growing up in Suicide Slum. His daughter by the Contessa, Lena, is named for the foster-sister. And in nearly every DC comics timeline in which Lex's parents are dead, they were killed in a car accident. I just exchanged Lena for Lionel in the accident. The full Lena Thorul story will be forthcoming, as soon as I can get the page, with all of the appropriate disclaimers and things, together.  
  
========  
  
Clark woke up pressed against Lex's warmth, a not terribly familiar feeling. Adding to the unfamiliarity was a lack of space, as if Lex's bed were smaller than usual. "Lex?" He whispered. "Are we in my bed?"  
  
"Mm-hmm. Go back to sleep." Lex mumbled.  
  
Suddenly the events of the previous evening came back to Clark - defending Lex from his father, hearing Jonathan's tale of Lily and Lena Luthor's deaths, listening to his lover talk about his mother and sister for the first time. Clark wondered if there was something he could do for Lex when they went to Metropolis the next weekend. If they would still be going at all, for all Clark knew his folks were going to pack him off to stay with Jonathan's Aunt Louisa in St. Paul for the rest of the school year.  
  
"Go to sleep." Lex reached up, finding Clark's face in the darkness and pulling himself up to kiss Clark gently.  
  
"You need your sleep, too." Clark whispered back.  
  
"I didn't almost die yesterday."   
  
"Yes, but you've got to go to work tomorrow and look like you haven't spent all day Sunday helping your boyfriend through a near-death experience."  
  
Lex grinned. "I've functioned after worse."  
  
Clark cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh?"  
  
"Never mind. That's all in the past now." Lex kissed him again, then pillowed his head on Clark's shoulder.   
  
Down the hall, Jonathan was awake, listening to the sounds of voices from the other bedroom.   
  
"You all right?" Jonathan started as he heard his wife's voice next to him.  
  
"They're talking."  
  
"What about?"  
  
Jonathan shrugged, staring at the ceiling. "I can't hear what they're saying. I just hope they're not . . ."  
  
Martha rolled over to her husband's side and put her hand on his chest. "They're not. I'm pretty sure. I don't think that Clark would, in our house."   
  
Jonathan noticed that his wife had implied that she knew that Clark was now sexually active, but didn't comment on it.  
  
"You want to talk?" She asked. "About Lionel? About Mrs. Luthor?"  
  
Jonathan sighed and cuddled closer to his wife. "The last thing I was expecting was for Lex to say that I wasn't to blame for the accident. The very last thing." He paused, debating what to say next. Decided to take that chance. "Because I've always been afraid that I was."  
  
"Jonathan. How could you believe that?" Martha asked, aghast.  
  
"If I hadn't been right there, right then . . ."  
  
"They still would have died, Jonathan. You heard what Lex said."  
  
"Lex." Jonathan repeated bitterly. "I don't have to like whatever it is they're doing, you know."  
  
"I know. But you do have to accept it."  
  
"You like it." He said accusingly.  
  
"I accept it. And I think that they're good for each other. I don't know if it'll last, and I hope that Clark's heart won't be broken, but I think they do really love each other, and that they deserve the same chance as any other couple."  
  
"I'll have to defer to you on that. But still, I think I'll watch Lex carefully. It'll take more than him *saying* that he doesn't blame me to convince me."  
  
Martha resisted the urge to sigh. "You've been living with this on your heart for nearly ten years now, Jonathan. I'd expect it to take a while."  
  
Jonathan looked at the clock. "Damn. Quarter after five."   
  
Reluctantly, Jonathan and Martha stood, and Jonathan turned off the alarm clock before heading down to breakfast.  
  
The hall light clicked on, casting a beam into Clark's room. "Clark?" His mother whispered as she placed one hand on his head and sank to her knees next to the bed.   
  
"Huh?" Clark, drowsy and warm, his lover's head pillowed on his shoulder, responded.  
  
"Your dad and I are getting up, but you can just stay in bed until you feel like getting up. I'll call the school to tell them that you aren't feeling well, and I'll call Pete to see if he'll pick up your assignments."  
  
Clark nodded sleepily.   
  
Lex lifted his head, blinking blearily at Martha. "What time is it?"  
  
"Around 5:30."  
  
Lex nodded. "D'you have an alarm clock?" He asked a now-sleeping Clark.   
  
"It's on the dresser." Martha answered for her son.  
  
"Could you please set it for 6:30?"  
  
Martha stood and, looking at the two young men lying tangled around each other, set the alarm clock as Lex had requested.  
  
"Thank you." Lex whispered as he fell back asleep on Clark's shoulder.  
  
Martha smiled at what she was surprised to be thinking of as 'her boys,' and closed the bedroom door as she walked downstairs to fix breakfast for her husband.  
  
An hour later, Clark heard the strains of some pop melody coming from his clock/radio, then felt Lex stand. After the radio had quieted, Clark felt Lex's lips touch his forehead, briefly. "I'll see you tonight. I love you."  
  
And then Lex was gone.  
  
Clark awoke a little after two and stood, swaying unsteadily. Bracing himself against the banister, he carefully picked his way down the stairs, wondering if he could somehow harness that ability that made him still sometimes awaken floating above his bed, and use it to carry him instead of his weak, wobbly legs.  
  
"Clark!" His mother cried as she saw him, rushing to his side to keep him from falling when he released the banister. "What are you doing? You know you should have called me and I would have brought lunch up to you."  
  
"I know." Clark said as Martha lowered him into a chair. "But I was tired of being in my bedroom. I need to change clothes, anyhow." He looked down at the clothes that he'd worn to lunch with Lex, Pete and Lana the previous day.  
  
"Do you need any help?" Martha asked as she bustled around the kitchen, heating soup and layering ham and cheese on a hard roll.   
  
Clark blushed. "Mom! I haven't needed help with my clothes since I was six!"   
  
"Well, you know that you don't have anything that I haven't seen before, and I'm willing to help if you need it." She placed the sandwich on the table in front of him and moved to the stove to stir the soup.  
  
"Don't worry. I think I can undress myself." Clark finished the sandwich in record time, even for him.  
  
Martha sighed and dished the soup into a bowl, taking in Clark's empty plate as she put the soup on the table. "You want another sandwich?"  
  
"Yes, please." Clark grinned up at his mom as he dug into the soup.  
  
Martha returned to the cutting board and assembled another sandwich for her ravenous son.  
  
Two more sandwiches and another bowl of soup later, Clark pushed himself away from the table. He stood carefully, testing his legs gently before attempting to walk.   
  
He took one halting step, then another, stronger than the first. Soon he was walking, if not as steadily as always, steadily enough to make it to the stairs. He carefully, slowly, walked back up to the second floor, then to the bathroom to take his shower.  
  
He returned downstairs half an hour later, dressed in clean clothes, to hear the voices of his mother and . . . "Lana?"  
  
"Clark!" Lana turned to face him, smiling. "I actually had sort of hoped that you'd gone to school today, and I could get the homework from you."  
  
"Sorry." Clark smiled gently. "But I'm expecting Pete to bring it by. You're welcome to wait with me if you want."  
  
Lana smiled widely. "That'd be nice."   
  
"Would you like something to drink?"  
  
Lana shook her head. "No, thanks."   
  
They sat together on the sofa in silence for a few minutes.   
  
Finally, Lana spoke. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure. Anything."  
  
"This is . . . " She blushed. "Going to sound really conceited, but I always thought that you liked me."  
  
"I do like you, Lana. I like you a lot."  
  
"No." She shook her head, blushing even more brightly. "I thought, oh, God." She broke down in hysterical giggles.  
  
"You thought that I *liked* you."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well," Clark felt himself blushing to join Lana, "you were right."  
  
"You do like me that way?"  
  
"I . . . *did* like you that way."  
  
"Did?" Confusion reigned in the depths of Lana's green eyes.  
  
"It was a crush. I outgrew it."  
  
"Oh." An uncomfortable silence descended.  
  
Clark felt awful. He had been trying desperately to get Pete together with Lana, and now here Lana was, all but offering herself to him.  
  
The silence was broken by Pete's voice at the screen door. "Clark? You there?"  
  
Clark blinked. "Yeah." He stood and crossed the room to open the door for his friend.  
  
Friends, as it turned out. Chloe was with him. "Just wanted to see how the hero's doing." Chloe said with a grin as she hugged Clark.  
  
"Hero." Clark laughed and rolled his eyes, but delight rolled off him in waves.  
  
Everything came to a halt, however, when Pete saw Lana on Clark's sofa. "Lana." Pete, hurt, looked from Lana to Clark and back.  
  
Lana looked a little relieved, then beamed brightly at Pete. "Clark told me I could wait here for you with him. I need the homework, too."  
  
Pete sighed in relief, but the wariness in his eyes stayed for a moment longer. "Oh. Well, you're welcome to it."  
  
The four friends sat together on the floor.  
  
"You look so much better, man." Pete said to Clark.  
  
"Better? What happened?" Lana looked from Pete to Clark for an explanation.  
  
_Damn!_ Clark swore silently. "I'm sort of . . . allergic to the rocks from the meteors. I don't know why. Maybe I came across them before Mom and Dad found me." He shrugged, striving for nonchalance.  
  
"And . . .?" Chloe prompted.  
  
"Well, Jenny had a pin or something made with the meteor rocks, and I made myself sick restraining her. What got her so upset?" Clark asked Lana.  
  
Lana shrugged. "I came in in the middle of it, but it seemed like Jenny had asked Nell to rearrange the store so that she could get through it more easily in her wheelchair, and Nell had refused. I guess it set her off."  
  
"I guess it did." Clark responded.  
  
Martha came into the room, then. "Pete. Chloe!" She seemed surprised to see the blonde there.   
  
"Hi, Mrs. Kent."  
  
"I'm just about to start dinner. Will the three of you be staying?"  
  
"No, thank you, Mrs. Kent. I've got to get home." Lana, ever polite, responded.  
  
"Yes, please, Mrs. Kent." Pete smiled at Martha.  
  
Martha cocked an eyebrow at Pete, noticing his sudden politeness. "Chloe?"  
  
"Yeah. I'd like that." Chloe nodded.  
  
"Clark? Will Lex be joining us?"   
  
"Um, yeah. I expect so. I'll go call him and ask."  
  
Clark walked to the kitchen and picked up the receiver, dialing Lex's office number.   
  
"Lex Luthor."  
  
Clark couldn't help grinning at his lover's voice. "You up for dinner at my folks' tonight?" He asked without preamble.  
  
He could hear Lex's grin in his voice. "Sure. Just name the time."  
  
"Five-thirty?"  
  
"I'll be there."  
  
"Oh, and Lex?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, first, Pete and Chloe will be here for dinner, too."  
  
"Ah. So this is going to be one of *those* kinds of dinner, huh?"   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You know, you with your mob of enforcers. . . ."  
  
"Oh, undoubtedly." Clark chuckled. "And secondly, I love you."  
  
"I'm not alone, but same here. You know that."  
  
Clark hung up, wishing that things were different - that Lex could openly say that he loved him in front of secretaries, or business associates, or the faceless minions. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear Chloe sneaking up behind him.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Chloe! What the hell are you doing?"   
  
"I need to call my mom."  
  
"Oh. He stepped out of the way and allowed Chloe access to the phone.  
  
Clark returned to the living room and, picking up his book bag, whispered to Pete, "Come on, let's go into the dining room and start our homework. If we're using the dining room table, maybe Mom'll relent and treat Lex like family this time."  
  
"Not likely, man."  
  
"Well, Mom seems pretty cool about Lex and me. It's just that when we had Lex for dinner on Friday." He thought back. Here it was, Monday already. How much could happen in such a short time. "Mom did the whole good china, dining room thing. Like Lex was the King of Spain or something."  
  
Together they went to the dining room. "Where's Lana?" Clark asked as he put his book bag down on the table.  
  
"She went home. So, what do you think? Do I have a chance with her?"  
  
Clark sat down, debating whether to mention his bizarre conversation with Lana earlier. Then he remembered the way the brunette had beamed when she saw Pete. He smiled. "More than a chance."  
  
"Really? You think so?"   
  
Clark nodded. "Yeah. I really think so."  
  
Soon, Chloe joined them and the trio worked on their homework for the next hour, until Martha came in and caught them taking up her dining room table.   
  
"All right, you three. Out!"  
  
"Mom, we're in the middle of something here."  
  
"Mm-hm. And I'm sure you couldn't be doing your homework somewhere else, like the Fortress of Solitude?"  
  
"Um, well," Clark felt himself blushing.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I sorta thought we could eat at the kitchen table tonight?"  
  
"You still won't let me live down the treatment I gave Lex on Friday, will you?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Well, I'm not fixing anything special, just chicken and rice, but I really would like to use the dining room, if only because fitting six of us around the kitchen table would be a really tight squeeze."   
"Chicken and rice, huh?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"The good china?"   
"No. The everyday stuff."  
  
"And silver?"  
  
"Everyday again." Martha rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she left the room.  
  
"Well, we heard the lady." Pete said, picking up his books and standing.   
  
Chloe and Clark followed suit and together, the three friends trooped out to the barn and up to the loft.  
  
At five, they were joined by Lex. "Mrs. Kent told me you were out here." He said as he joined them on the floor. Clark leaned over and kissed his lover in greeting, eliciting exaggerated sighs and rolled eyes from the other two teens.  
  
"Get a room if you're gonna do that sort of stuff," Pete ribbed after the relatively chaste kiss.  
  
"You're just jealous." Clark replied, winking.   
  
Pete's face grew serious. "Actually, since you're here, Lex, could you help me with my biology homework?"   
  
Chloe snorted. "You can't do that, Pete."  
  
"What? Ask Lex for help with my homework?"  
  
"Well, yeah. He's an important businessman."  
  
Pete rolled his eyes. "It's called taking advantages of what's there, Chloe." He said as if explaining to a very small child. "Lex is a scientific genius. He was probably doing freshman biology in sixth grade."  
  
Lex cleared his throat. "Fifth, actually," he said, averting his gaze and rubbing a hand over his scalp.  
  
He turned toward Pete, then. "So, what's your question?"  
  
The three high school students were so wrapped up in Lex's freshman biology tutoring that Martha finally had to come out to the barn to call them in for dinner.  
  
Chloe and Pete went ahead, and Clark and Lex stayed behind.   
  
"I want to talk to you after dinner." Clark said, looping his arms around his lover's body and pulling him closer for a kiss.  
  
"Talk?" Lex asked archly.  
  
"Talk." Clark responded.  
  
Lex sighed theatrically, "If we must."   
  
Clark laughed, kissing Lex again. "Oh, and one more thing."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm going to scare my dad and Chloe out of a year's growth."  
  
"Scare out of a year's growth? Who talks like that?"  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"What're you going to do?"  
  
"Uh-uh." Clark shook his head. "You'll find out when it happens."  
  
Together, they went in to dinner. Jonathan was seated at the head of the table, Martha at the foot. One seat of the far side of the table was occupied by Chloe, and the diagonally opposite seat by Pete. Clark narrowed his eyes at Chloe for this obvious attempt to separate him from Lex, but since the meal had already started, Lex moved to sit next to Chloe. Before he took his seat, Clark asked, "Would you like something to drink, Lex?" Boy, Chloe was going to pay.  
  
Lex, startled, said, "Water, thanks." From the grin on Clark's face as he left the room, Lex wondered if this was what he'd warned him about in the barn.  
  
A few minutes later, carrying two glasses, one filled with water, the other with Pepsi, Clark returned. First, he put the Pepsi glass at his own place, then carried the water over to Lex's place.   
  
He put the glass down in front of Lex, then gave him a very quick, very casual kiss. One that spoke volumes about the level of their relationship -- that they had left the passionate, honeymoon phase, and had moved on to forming a real commitment to each other.  
  
Clark returned to his seat, not looking at anyone seated at the table. After he'd sat back down, he looked at his father. He could almost see Jonathan's hair turning white.   
  
"C - Clark?" Chloe spluttered. "You know that . . ." She looked from Jonathan's astonished face to Martha's amused one. Then she looked at Clark. "Your folks know about you guys?"   
  
"Yeah." Clark said, smirking.   
  
Chloe leveled a playful yet deadly expression at Clark as Jonathan began to regain his composure.   
  
"Actually," Lex said, trying to calm everyone down, "it's kind of nice, being here with the four of you. Having to keep this a secret from *everyone* is very trying. But here, with you, we can let our guards down." He smiled at Martha, Chloe, Pete and Jonathan, and with the exception of Jonathan, each returned his smile.  
  
Dinner passed without further incident, and soon Pete and Chloe had left for their respective homes. Lex and Clark returned to the Fortress together.  
  
Lex picked up a blanket and indicated for Clark to sit down in the entrance of the loft. Lex folded the blanket up as small as he could get it and put it on the floor behind Clark and sat down on it. "You hold me all the time," Lex said from his position behind and above Clark, "And sometimes I want to hold you without smothering myself with your back."  
  
Clark leaned back into Lex's embrace as they watched the night outside.  
  
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
"I had the strangest conversation with Lana today."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. She came right out and asked if I was interested in her."  
  
Lex stiffened. "And what did you say?"  
  
"I told her that I used to be, but that I wasn't anymore."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. I said that it was just a crush, and that I outgrew it."  
  
"Did you?" Lex couldn't help grinning like an idiot.  
  
"Yes. I did." Clark picked up on Lex's grin and shared it, his teeth flashing white in the reflected light from the house. He snuggled back closer to Lex. "And I think she really likes Pete."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"You should have seen it. She seemed kind of nervous talking to me, but she almost glowed when she saw Pete."  
  
"So, that's Pete taken care of, then. Next we need to hook Chloe up with someone." 


	11. The Trip to Metropolis

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 11, The Trip to Metropolis  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "Monday"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
A/N: My page on Lena, DCcanon!Lex's sister (subject to change at without notice) - http://www.geocities.com/pepperjackcandy/lena.htm  
  
Also if the "worth mentioning twice" thing sounds familiar, it's because it's not mine originally. It's paraphrased from the Red Dwarf episode Holoship.  
  
John Henry Irons is played by Avery Brooks in my reality (who should have played the role in the Steel movie, imnsho). Natasha is, at this point, uncast, but you can see her, and Boris, who also appears in this story, here: http://digital-priest.tripod.com/steel/steelfree.htm  
  
============  
  
"Morning, Mom." Clark said, grinning, as he held out a bouquet of flowers to her.  
  
"For me? What's the occasion?"  
  
"No occasion."  
  
Martha narrowed her eyes at him. "You're up to something."  
  
Clark pasted on his 'extra wide-eyed and guileless' expression. "No, of course not."  
  
"Clark . . ."   
  
Clark sighed. "All right. I thought that while we were in Metropolis, Lex and I might sneak out to go visit his mother's and sister's graves. I had Chloe look it up for me. They're buried at Mt. Sinai."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I've got the cooler and ice packs to keep the flowers fresh, and if Nell asks you about stargazer lilies, tell her they were beautiful."  
  
Martha glanced at her stargazer-lily-free bouquet. "All right . . ."  
  
The clock chimed nine.  
  
"I've gotta run. Lex is picking me up at Lana's house." He kissed his mother on the cheek and before she could respond, was out the door and headed to the street, bearing the cooler in his hands.  
  
"Have a nice time in Metropolis." Martha said to the now-empty room.  
  
Minutes later, Clark met Lana on the front porch of the house Lana shared with her aunt, Nell Potter.   
  
"What's in the cooler?" Lana asked.  
  
"Something for Lex." Clark evaded carefully.   
  
"Would you like to sit down?" Lana indicated the swing.  
  
"Thanks." Clark sat, and Lana sat down a discreet distance from him.  
  
Taking a chance, Clark opened the conversation with a question that had been plaguing him since Jenny McIntyre had hospitalized Lana and Nell. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Have you ever wanted to be . . . different?"  
  
She turned confused brown eyes to him. "Different how?"  
  
"Just anyway you can think of."  
  
"Like hair color? I've always wondered what I'd look like as a redhead."  
  
Clark shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend it. You look perfect just the way you are."  
  
Lana smiled softly. "Thank you, Clark." She sounded surprised by the compliment.  
  
"Any other way you'd want to be different?"  
  
She shook her head. "Not in years."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah. When I was little, I used to have . . . nightmares. About my parents."  
  
Clark cringed. "That's understandable."  
  
"I was sad all of the time. I was really miserable."  
  
"So, what happened? You just outgrew it?"  
  
"Yeah. Somehow, it seemed to get better once Nell adopted me." She shrugged. "I figured I just needed a family, and once I had one again, it got better."  
  
Clark was spared the need to respond by the arrival of a huge, white sport-utility vehicle. Clark was surprised to see Lex behind the wheel.  
  
Lex got down from the driver's side and walked around to open the passenger side door.   
  
"Lex." Clark smiled at his lover. "Quite the vehicle. We going to Metropolis or Montana?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "Turns out I don't have anything in my garage that seats three comfortably in the back. It's a rental."  
  
Clark nodded for Lana to go ahead and take the passenger's side seat. He wasn't sure Lex would be happy about it, but it just felt wrong to him to stick Lana in the back by herself.  
  
"I need to put this in the back." Clark indicated the cooler at his feet.  
  
Lex shrugged. "All right."   
  
Together, the two men walked to the back of the SUV, and Lex opened the back door. Clark lifted the nearly-empty cooler into place, then grabbed Lex's hand and squeezed gently. Grinning, Lex lifted their linked hands to his mouth, kissing Clark's hand surreptitiously.   
  
After Lex closed the door, Clark said, "I want to make a small side trip while we're in Metropolis. Just the two of us."  
  
Lex's eyes twinkled wordlessly.   
  
He didn't need to use words. Clark grasped his meaning easily. "It's nothing like that." He hastened to assure Lex.   
  
"A guy can hope." Lex grinned.  
  
"And," Clark pulled Lex closer, whispering conspiratorially in his ear, "I think you're right about the meteors. Lana and I had a conversation while we were waiting for you."  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"I'll tell you more about that later, too."  
  
Lex and Clark exchanged grins and then walked around the car, where Clark reached up for the handle to the back door, only to find Lana already there. He opened the door anyhow. "What are you doing back here?"  
  
"I just thought I should sit back here, you know . . ." Lana looked quizzically from Lex to Clark and back.  
  
Clark, surprised, looked from Lana to Lex. The confused expression in his lover's eyes mirrored his own. Clark gently closed the door and walked around to the passenger's side front seat where he climbed in as Lex, already seated in the driver's side, started the engine.  
  
Before he put the vehicle in gear, Lex craned around in his seat to face Lana. "How big is your purse?"  
  
Lana held up a bag barely large enough to hold a wallet and lipstick. "Not too big."  
  
"Does Chloe usually carry a large purse?"  
  
"Why are you suddenly so interested in girls' accessories?" There was a strange, quiet slyness in Lana's tone that took Clark aback for a second.  
  
Apparently, Lex was startled as well, because it took him a few seconds to answer. He picked up a bundle of papers. "I've got everything here -- tram tickets, dolphin show tickets, a list of animals' feeding times . . . . Two copies of everything, so the three of you can carry one, and Clark and I can keep the other."  
  
"Oh. Well, Chloe usually has notebooks and things in her purse, so it'll probably be big enough. Where are you keeping your copy?"  
  
Lex opened his jacket, revealing a bundle of papers in the inside pocket and grinning. Then, he turned around, snapped his seatbelt shut, and put the engine in gear.  
  
Soon, they were in front of Pete's house, where Pete and Chloe were waiting.   
  
"Where have you guys been?"  
  
Clark glanced at his watch. They'd told Pete and Chloe they'd be there around 9:15. It was only 9:20. "Sheesh. We're only five minutes late."   
  
Pete and Chloe climbed into the back. Pete in the center, next to Lana, Chloe sat on the far right.   
  
"Nice car," Chloe said approvingly.  
  
Lex smiled at Clark and said, "It's a rental."  
  
"Figures. The Jag in the shop?"  
  
"No. My Jaguar's running just fine. I figured that it'd be friendly to get something that seats three comfortably in the back."  
  
"Well, my butt thanks you for that," Pete said.  
  
"How big's your purse, Chloe?"  
  
Chloe wordlessly held up a satchel looked to Clark more like a suitcase than a purse.   
  
Lex picked up the bundle of papers and handed it to her. "All of the stuff you'll need is in here - tickets for everything, lists of highlights you might want to check out, like all of the babies born there in the last year."  
  
Chloe thumbed through the sheaf. "They really keep track of how many hissing cockroaches are born at the zoo?"  
  
"Of course. They have to keep an inventory, plus they do a lot of research at the zoo. The list of ongoing research projects is in there, too."  
  
"So if one of the cockroaches ate another, they'd have to keep a record of that, too?"  
  
"Chloe!" Pete whined, a distasteful expression on his face.   
  
"What? Cockroaches are cannibals. At least I've always been told they are." Chloe shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, but it's not something I want to *watch*. Or talk about just after breakfast."  
  
Soon they were on the expressway, and they chatted amiably the hour and a half to Metropolis.  
  
They exited and drove through the suburbs until they reached the zoo, where Lex slowed down in front of the gate. "Out you go." Lex craned his neck around to look at Lana, Pete and Chloe.  
  
"You're just throwing us out?" Chloe asked indignantly.  
  
"We have errands to run. Alone." Lex said pointedly.  
  
Chloe opened the door and slid out. Pete followed, but not before a parting shot, delivered with a grin. "So that's what the kids are calling it these days."  
  
"Go." Lex said sternly. "We'll meet you around . . . " He looked at Clark.  
  
"3:00?"  
  
"We'll meet you at the grizzly bear enclosure at 3:00."  
  
Lana slid out and closed the door. "Have fun, you two." She gave Clark the shock of his life when she winked at him.  
  
Lex pulled smoothly away from the curb. "I think we have to be more discreet. Apparently, Lana's picked up on it."  
  
"Ah, but remember these two important facts. One, Lana spends a lot of time with Pete and Chloe, and two, Lana spends a lot of time with Pete and Chloe. I know that's only one reason, but I thought it was such a big one it was worth mentioning twice."  
  
"So, where do you want to go?" Lex said, his eyes still on the road.  
  
"Um, I was thinking maybe . . . Mt. Sinai Cemetery?"  
  
Lex slammed on the brake. He turned to Clark. "Did I hear you right?"  
  
Clark hesitated to meet his lover's eyes, but when he did, he was surprised to find tears building up in them.   
  
"You know who's . . . buried there, don't you?"  
  
Clark nodded. "Your mom and sister."  
  
"You want to visit Mom and Lena?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Do you know how long it's been since I visited them?"  
  
Clark shook his head wordlessly.  
  
"It's been so long that I can't remember how long it's been."  
  
"Well, if you don't want to go, then . . ."  
  
"Of course I do! I was just surprised is all."  
  
"So, you're OK with it, then?"  
  
Lex smiled. "I'm . . . speechless."  
  
"That's good, right?"  
  
Lex was amazed at Clark's need for reassurance. "Yes. Very good."  
  
They smiled at each other, then, and Lex signaled for the turn that would take them towards the cemetery.  
  
"So you wanted to talk about your conversation with Lana?"  
  
"Yeah. I think I know what the meteors gave her."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I . . . I think they made the pain go away. The pain of losing her parents."  
  
Lex nodded, impressed. "And how did you come to this conclusion?"  
  
"Well, she told me that she was desperately unhappy . . . until Nell adopted her. She said she thought the pain went away because she needed a family, but I think it was the necklace."  
  
"It made her happy?"  
  
"No. I think it made her . . . calm."  
  
"Calm."  
  
"Is that . . . wrong?"  
  
"It's just that it's more charitable than the word I'd use."  
  
"And what word would you use?"  
  
"Affectless."  
  
"Affectless." Clark repeated.  
  
"You know. Unemotional. Flat."  
  
"You're right. Calm is more charitable." Clark took the sting from the words with a smile.  
  
They still had several miles to go, so Lex tried a different conversation. "What do you want to do? Have you given any consideration to that?"  
  
"You mean like after high school? Well, college of course."  
  
"Yes, but beyond that."  
  
"Well, I thought that I could help people. Like on September 11. I could have helped so many people. Like the firefighters did. But I wouldn't have had to risk my life."  
  
"And how much would you charge?"  
  
"Charge?" Clark was clearly flabbergasted.  
  
"Well, yes. It's the firefighters' *job*, Clark. They get paid for it, and so should you."  
  
"Well, could it be a hobby, or something, then?"  
  
Lex grinned, suddenly feeling silly. "I'd be happy to keep you as . . . trophy husband, Clark, but I thought you'd want something more for yourself."  
  
"Trophy husband?" Clark repeated back, grinning. "That's a new one."  
  
"If you want to make saving lives your hobby, like garden club or something, then . . ."  
  
"I have something I want to do, but you'd think it was silly."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"Well, being around you, talking about science and things, has gotten me thinking about ways I could help people that way."  
  
"I don't follow you."  
  
"I think I'd like to become a doctor."  
  
Lex's eyes widened and he nodded. "I could really see that. I think you'd make a wonderful doctor."  
  
"Really? You don't think it's stupid?"  
  
"Of course not. You could help people, and you've got to admit the money's pretty good. But of course the money isn't why you'd do it." Lex supplied for Clark, affection flavoring his tone.  
  
They reached the cemetery soon after this, and Lex drove to the site of his mother's and sister's graves. He stopped the engine and, pulling Clark to him for a brief kiss, climbed out.  
  
Clark walked around to the back of the vehicle. "Lex!" He called out. "Could you open this for me?"  
  
Lex came around the back and opened the door for Clark, who took out the cooler.  
  
"I'm not sure why you need a cooler in a cemetery, but all right . . ." Lex said bemusedly.  
  
Clark kissed him quickly. "You'll see."  
  
Lex led the way as they walked to a large monument with a scaled-down version next to it.  
  
Clark put the cooler down and opened it, withdrawing two stargazer lilies bound together by a strand of purple ribbon. He looked up at Lex. "You said that stargazer lilies were your mother's favorite flower."  
  
Lex felt stupid. He just knew he was going to burst into tears right there in the middle of the cemetery. Not trusting his voice, he nodded silently.  
  
"I . . . got two of them. One from each of us. I asked Nell if she had any violets, but she didn't, so I went by the five and dime and got some purple ribbon instead."  
  
Lex's continued silence made Clark nervous. "Is this . . .? I mean, this is all right, right?"  
  
Lex nodded, then tried testing his voice. "More than all right. It's the nicest thing I think anyone's ever done for me." His voice broke on the word 'me.'  
  
"Really?"   
  
Lex saw the shyly pleased expression on Clark's face. Lex pulled him in for a kiss, then leaning his head forward so that he and Clark were resting their foreheads together, eye-to-eye. "Really."  
  
Finally, Clark broke their eye contact, lifting his head and then glancing down at the flowers. "So, would you like to . . .?"  
  
Lex smiled. "Yeah. Thanks." He took a couple of steps forward and laid the flowers on his mom's grave. "Do I say a prayer or something?" He asked Clark.  
  
Clark shrugged. " I guess you can say a prayer or whatever. Lana talks to her parents."  
  
"I shall defer to Lana's greater experience, then." Lex smiled at Clark, then addressed his mother's grave.  
  
"Hi, Mom. I know I haven't been here . . . in years, but I've been. . . . You know." He stopped, grinning wryly and chuckling. "You remember Dad.  
  
"Well, I've been busy helping Dad build his empire." Lex rolled his eyes. "And falling in love." He beamed at Clark. "This is Clark. Though, if you can see me from wherever you are, you probably know that already. Falling in love with him - us falling in love with each other - is the most important thing I think I've ever done. I think . . . . No, I know that you would love him, too." Lex looked up at Clark, love shining clearly in his eyes.  
  
As they walked back to Lex's car, nearly hand-in-hand, Lex said, "Thank you. I haven't been here in ages. I needed this."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
They got into Lex's car. "I've got a couple more stops to make before we go back to the zoo. All right?"  
  
Clark shrugged. "Sure."  
  
"All right, then. First stop, the jewelry store."  
  
Lex pulled up aside a parking meter and stepped out, heading right for the jewelry store.   
  
"Lex!" Clark called out as he stepped out of the passenger side. "The parking meter?"  
  
"It's Saturday. You only need to feed the meter Monday through Friday."  
  
"Oh." Clark nodded. Then, just in case, he popped a quarter into the meter anyway before hurrying into the store behind Lex.  
  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Luthor." The saleslady behind the counter greeted him.  
  
"Hello," he paused. "Mandy, is it?"  
  
"Yes, sir." She beamed at him.  
  
"Do you have Jean-Pierre's 2002 emerald piece?"  
  
"Yes, sir." She walked to the other side of the store, returning with a royal blue velvet box and opening it for Lex's approval.  
  
Lex nodded approvingly, then motioned for Clark to join him. Clark looked into the box, where a pin in the shape of a dragonfly sat on the cushion. The legs and wings were made from a silver metal of some sort, but the body of the dragonfly was made from three emeralds cut to the correct shape for the body part, head, thorax, and abdomen. The facets of the jewels caught the light.  
  
"Wow." Clark whispered.  
  
Lex nodded. "Every stone Jean-Pierre uses is flawless."  
  
"Wow." Clark whispered, more forcefully.  
  
Lex grinned. "I'll take it. You can send the bill to my home."  
  
"Very well, Mr. Luthor." Mandy went to ring up the sale.   
  
"Who's that for? Or are you a collector?" Clark asked.  
  
Lex grinned. "It's for a friend who's doing me a major favor."  
  
"Must be some favor."   
  
Mandy brought the box and receipt to Lex. "It is. I owe her a lot more than this." He held indicated the box.  
  
"So, where are we going now?" Clark asked as they headed for the car.  
  
Lex looked upwards, inviting Clark to follow his eyes. Standing tall above the other buildings around it, Clark saw the LuthorCorp tower.  
  
"Home." Lex said simply.  
  
They pulled into the parking garage of the LuthorCorp building, heading to the top of the garage, where the Luthor family's private garage was located. Lex pulled into a parking space alongside the garage, and the couple got out of the car.   
  
Clark looked apprehensively at Lex as Lex led him to the private family elevator.   
  
"Don't worry. Dad's supposed to be out of town, and if he isn't, Max'll handle him for us." He took Clark's hand as they stepped into the elevator.   
"Max?" Suddenly, Clark had an image of an attack dog savaging Lionel.  
  
"Maxine. Dad's housekeeper. She's expecting us."  
  
"Ah. The dragonfly . . ."  
  
"Right." Lex nodded. "She loves Jean-Pierre's jewelry, and she's partial to emeralds, so when she does me a favor, I buy her a piece of his jewelry. It works out nicely that way."  
  
The elevator doors opened onto a gray marble hallway with a mahogany door set into the wall opposite the elevator.  
  
Lex pulled a key out of his pants pocket and unlocked the door. He motioned with his head for Clark to follow him as he stepped across the threshold.  
  
Behind the door was a credenza holding a vase of flowers. The credenza was also of mahogany, with a gray granite top that harmonized beautifully with the gray satin wallpaper on the walls.   
  
Lex winked and dropped to his knees. He opened one of the cabinets of the credenza and started pulling books and boxes out. He handed them, one by one, to Clark. After the cabinet was empty, and Clark's arms were full, Lex put the jewelry box in the cabinet and stood, brushing off his pants.  
  
"Max!" Lionel's voice bellowed through the penthouse. "Are my shirts back from the laundry?"  
  
Lex's and Clark's gazes met. Lex stepped to the door and opened it, Clark hurrying out into the foyer, not even pretending to be inconvenienced by the stack of books and boxes he was carrying and together they headed right for the elevator, which was still waiting for them.  
  
The doors slid shut, and Lex and Clark collapsed in relieved laughter.   
  
"Shit." Lex said between whoops of laughter. "Last thing I need is to be cornered by Dad when I'm out with my boyfriend."  
  
The elevator doors opened again, and the two young men stepped out onto the rooftop of the garage.   
  
"What is all this stuff, anyway?" Clark asked as Lex opened the tailgate of the SUV.   
  
"My childhood."  
  
"Your . . ."  
  
Lex nodded. "My mom. Lena. Pictures. Videotapes. Things. It's all in there."  
  
"Wow. I can see why you paid Max so well."  
  
Lex nodded. "She's worth every penny."  
  
They got into the SUV and Lex drove down to the Commerce street exit. "You ready to go back to the zoo?"  
  
"Almost." Clark leaned in and pulled Lex to him by the lapels. After kissing his lover soundly, Clark said, "Now I'm ready to go back to the zoo."  
  
Soon enough, they were back at the zoo. "All right. Where do you suppose they are?" Clark asked as they stepped through the gate.  
  
Lex shrugged. "You have your cell phone?"  
  
Clark nodded. "And Chloe's never without hers, so I can just give her a call . . ."  
  
Lex put his hand on Clark's arm to keep Clark from reaching for the phone. "Let's wait on that. I think I want to keep you to myself a while longer. Maybe all the way until 3:00."  
  
Clark shared a grin with his boyfriend and they began walking.  
  
They'd just finished watching the bears in the bear enclosure and were about to move on to the reptile house when a deep, booming voice called out, "Lex! Lex Luthor!"  
  
Lex flinched, like he was expecting to be shot. And for all Clark knew, maybe he was.  
  
Lex pasted on a phony smile and turned to face the man calling his name. "John! I haven't seen you in ages!"  
  
John turned out to be a tall African-American man, goateed, but otherwise every bit as bald as Lex.  
  
John looked pointedly from Lex to Clark and back again.  
  
"Where are my manners? John Irons, this is Clark Kent."  
  
John reached out and took Clark's hand in a firm grip. "Pleased to meet you." John said in his deep, powerful voice.  
  
Clark nodded. "You too." Once they were standing close enough, Clark realized that John was very tall - nearly as tall as he was himself.  
  
"So, what brings you to Metropolis?" Lex asked casually.  
  
"You evidently haven't been keeping up with the alumni newsletter." John said. "I've left the Department."  
  
At Clark's confused look, Lex said, "John was a classmate from my college days, in the engineering program at Princeton. Though he was studying . . . mechanical engineering?"  
  
John nodded.   
  
"And after graduation, he went to work for the Department of Defense. A job that he has, apparently, recently left?"  
  
"I was no longer . . . comfortable there." John said without further elaboration.  
  
"So what are you doing now?"  
  
"I'm in the process of starting a consulting business with an electrical engineer here in Metropolis. It's not even coming close to paying the bills, so I'm doing construction work on the side in the meantime."  
  
"What kind of bills do you have? You didn't have a very pricey lifestyle in college."  
  
"That was before I ended up taking in my . . ."  
  
"Uncle John! Uncle John. You won't believe who I ran into . . ." The young woman's voice faded out as she realized that John wasn't alone. "Hi." She greeted the other two men.  
  
"What is it, Natasha?" John asked with an obvious show of patience.  
  
"You won't believe who I found here!" She exclaimed. It was then that Clark realized that Natasha had a deathgrip on the wrist of . . .   
  
"Pete?"  
  
Pete sighed heavily and nodded.   
  
Natasha looked from Clark to Pete and back. "You know each other?"  
  
"Yeah. We go to school together." Pete said. "Hi, Uncle John."  
  
"Hello, Pete." John said in an amused tone.  
  
"Uncle John?" Clark asked Pete.  
  
"Yeah. Natasha's my cousin. My dad is her mom's brother. Uncle John is her dad's brother."  
  
"Ah." Clark felt a momentary pang of jealousy. His family had always been small, and while the intimacy was nice, he sometimes wondered what it would be like to have a larger family.  
  
He was jolted from his reverie by the sound of feet behind him. He turned to see Chloe, Lana and a boy about their own age with shaggy brown hair hanging around his face and in his eyes.  
  
"Well, our whole group seems to be here now." Lex said with a smile. "That's Lana Lang and Chloe Sullivan."  
  
"And that's Natasha's friend. She calls him Boris, but his real name is . . ."  
  
"Paul." A surprisingly pleasant voice emerged from beneath the mass of hair.  
  
"Tell you what." Lex said with a smile. "Since we're all together, why don't we head out to dinner? There's a great pizza place up by Met U, and we can get a really big table and all eat together." He looked at John, challenging him to argue. "My treat, since I'm the multi-billionaire."  
  
John's face darkened, but he nodded shortly. "All right."  
  
Lex gave John the directions, and soon they'd separated into their original groups and headed back to their cars.  
  
Half an hour later, they were standing in the lobby of the restaurant. The hostess asked, "How many in your party?"  
  
Lex paused while he counted heads. "Eight. Non-smoking, please."  
  
The hostess consulted her chart and nodded. "Right this way."  
  
She led them upstairs to a round table for ten beneath a stained-glass skylight. The group quickly sat down, with John next to Lex, followed by Clark, then Chloe, Lana, Pete, Natasha and Boris. There were two empty chairs between Boris and John.  
  
Lex ordered several pitchers of root beer for the sixteen-year-olds, and he and John ordered beers for themselves. By the time dinner started, everyone had gotten into conversations in groups of two or, in the case of John, Lex and Clark, three.   
  
The exception was Chloe, who was stuck between Clark and Lex's conversation and Pete and Lana's. Natasha looked up and saw Chloe sitting forlorn between Clark and Lana. "Boris, move over a seat." She ordered her friend.  
  
Boris complied calmly, as if he were used to following Natasha's dictates.   
  
"Chloe?" Natasha called out. "You wanna come down here and sit by us?"  
  
Chloe blushed and shook her head, shrinking back against her chair, pretending to become invisible.  
  
Natasha just looked at her steadily.   
  
"You'd better do it," Pete advised his friend. "She's going to get her way anyhow. She always does."  
  
Chloe stood and moved to the seat between Natasha and Boris sulkily. She sat down, and soon Natasha and her sidekick had her at her ease, talking and laughing with them like old friends.  
  
Clark looked around the table, from his boyfriend, to one best friend covertly holding hands with the girl of his dreams, over to the other one who'd made two new friends.  
  
Clark smiled, knowing that life was good. 


	12. Phlebotomy

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 12, Phlebotomy  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Series: Follows "The Trip to Metropolis"  
Archive : Smallville Slash Archive, my writing at fanfiction.net  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
A/N: Yes, Lex's little trick for warming one's hands really does work.  
  
This chapter is dedicated to Ginger Rogers, whose grave unfortunately does not say "She did everything Fred Astaire did, backwards and in high heels." Bette Davis's grave, on the other hand, *does* say "She did it the hard way." (http://www.findagrave.com/photos/101d/252/258_1000163737.jpg)  
  
Woo-hoo! Clark Kent as Doctor Who companion! "What is it, Lex?"  
  
============  
  
Sunday, after he'd finished his chores, Clark headed to Lex's house. As usual, the gate and door were open to him. As he walked into Lex's study, he found his boyfriend there, hands on top of his head, fingers laced together, like he was being held up, or arrested.  
  
Clark looked around cautiously. "You all right, Lex?"  
  
"Hm? Yeah. Fine." Lex said bemusedly. "Oh! You mean this." He waggled his elbows.  
  
Clark nodded.  
  
Lex chuckled. "My hands were cold. You know how they say that you lose more body heat through the top of your head? Well, this is a good way to put that body heat to work for you."  
  
"I think I can come up with a better way to use your body heat." Clark grinned as he walked around the desk to kiss Lex softly.  
  
"Actually, now that you mention it . . ."  
  
"Oh?" Clark cocked an eyebrow at Lex, moving his hands to the top button of Lex's lavender dress shirt.  
  
Lex regretfully removed Clark's hands from his shirt. "Actually, I was thinking we should get started on our dancing lessons today."  
  
Clark grinned widely. "Really?" Then his grin faded. "But I don't think my folks'd let me go to the party, you know, since they know about . . . us and all."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Lex smiled warmly. "It's being taken care of. You won't be going to Bruce's party as my date, but as part of the Kent family."  
  
"Mr. Wayne is inviting my parents to the party?"  
  
Lex nodded. "Just talked to him about it. They should be receiving the invitation tomorrow."  
  
"They won't go."  
  
Lex shrugged. "Well, your father certainly seemed to be a big fan of Bruce's, and your mother doesn't object to us being together at all, so I think I'll bet that they'll go."  
  
Lex smiled. "And anyway, the dancing lessons were just an excuse anyhow."  
  
"Oh? An excuse for what?"  
  
Lex stood and walked over to Clark, taking Clark's left hand with his right hand, then guiding Clark's right hand to his waist. Lex raised his left hand to Clark's shoulder, trailing his fingertips along Clark's neck, raising goose bumps as he did so.  
  
"That." Lex said simply, keeping a perfectly straight face.  
  
Clark arched one eyebrow. He could still feel the hairs on his arms standing on end. "I could see the advantages of that."  
  
"Now we just need music." Lex released Clark, much to Clark's disappointment, and headed into the media room. Clark heard Lex mumbling to himself and then the station ID for the local soft rock station.  
  
The sound of some sappy love song from the 70s, or perhaps the 80s, came flowing through the house and Clark looked around, finally noticing tiny speakers arranged throughout the house.   
  
Lex came out of the media room. "So, what do you think?"  
  
Clark smiled. "Nice system. I didn't know you had this."  
  
Lex shrugged. "Never had an excuse to use it before."  
  
Lex came to stand close to Clark.   
  
When Clark raised one hand towards his shoulder, Lex shook his head. "No. You're going to have to learn to lead."  
  
Clark looked at Lex, panic-stricken. "Lead?" Was all he managed to croak out.  
  
"If you decide to take Bruce's date out on the dance floor, I want all three of us to be certain that you're not going to back her into anything. Or anyone."  
  
Clark put his right hand on Lex's waist and took Lex's right hand in his left hand.   
  
Once they were in position, Lex said, "Now just walk slowly, in time with the music."  
  
"Walk where?"  
  
"Around. Remember, though, that you walk forward."  
  
"So you walk backward?"  
  
"That's why it's called 'leading,' Clark." Lex said with wry humor.  
  
Clark stuck his tongue out at his lover, and began trying to walk in time with the music, as Lex coached him. "Right. Left. Right. Left. Good. Left. Don't look down. Left. Right. Left. Oof!"  
  
"Sorry." Clark looked behind Lex to see that he'd backed his lover into the banister of the grand staircase.  
  
Lex sighed. "At least you haven't stepped on my toes yet."   
  
Clark looked hurt, so Lex kissed him quickly. "That's why we're practicing, Clark. So that these sorts of things don't happen at the party."  
  
Lex was about to start again when the radio station went to a commercial. Lex pulled Clark's head down for a kiss. First came a spot for the local tire store, then another one for Fordman's. After the announcer gave the time and weather, the music continued.  
  
"What was that for?" Clark asked as he straightened up.   
  
"Just thought we could use a short break."  
  
"I do like the way you think."  
  
By then, the next song was in full swing, so they began to move again.   
  
***  
  
Half an hour later, Clark had just successfully navigated Lex all around the study and back out into the foyer. Lex ducked into the media room and turned off the radio.  
  
"Now we start putting some actual coordination behind this." Lex said. "Let's start with the basic box step."  
  
Clark sighed heavily. "Am I leading or following this time?"  
  
"Still leading." When Clark threw him an exasperated look, he added. "Hey. I already know how to lead. I don't need the practice.  
  
"There's no guarantee that there'll be music in 3/4 time on the radio, so we'll just practice without it at first." Lex raised his arms and Clark got into position.   
  
"Step forward with your left foot."  
  
As Clark followed Lex's instructions, Lex stepped backwards with his right foot.  
  
"Now step forward with your right foot."  
  
The two men took the next step together.  
  
"And slide your left foot in towards your right foot."  
  
Lex mirrored Clark's action.  
  
"Whew. Now, step backwards with your right foot. Good. And back with your left. Right. And slide your right foot to your left. You're looking at your feet again, Clark."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"You shouldn't need to do that. Close your eyes."  
  
"How am I supposed to lead with my eyes closed?"  
  
Lex growled. "Fine. I'll go backwards and drag you with me. You just follow my instructions."  
  
Clark closed his eyes.  
  
"Forward with your left. Forward with your right. Slide. Back with your right. Back with your left. Slide. Good."  
  
Clark grinned.   
  
"Left. Right. Slide. Right. Left. Slide."  
  
_Knock, knock, knock._  
  
Lex let go of Clark, who reluctantly opened his eyes. "Who could that be? I'm not expecting anyone."  
  
Lex walked to the door, opening it. "Yes?"  
  
"Delivery for Alexander Luthor."  
  
"I'll sign for it." Lex said, not letting on that he was the intended recipient.  
  
The delivery man handed Lex the electronic pad for him to sign. After Lex handed it back, the delivery man squinted at the illegible scrawl. "Here you go."   
  
"Thanks." Lex took the package and closed the door.  
  
"What is it?" Clark asked.  
  
Lex glanced down at the address label and grinned. "I didn't expect this to be hand delivered today. Looks like our dancing lessons are over."  
  
"Do I have to go home?" Clark pouted.  
  
"Oh, no. I need you here for this." Lex led Clark into the study, where they sat down on the sofa.   
  
Lex unsealed and opened the box. "Ingenious." He whispered to himself as his eyes roved over the parts in the box.  
  
"Lex?"  
  
Lex came back to himself. "I've been . . . investigating certain investment opportunities. One of them is a medical equipment company that has a new product that they're just beginning to market. I asked that before I invest any money, they send me one to examine." He grinned wickedly. "This little baby may give us some of the answers we need about your physiology without having to resort to things like the meteors."  
  
"Oh?" Clark was intrigued. "How does it work?"  
  
"This is a very small-scale version - they're working on additional applications for the technology, but you know that things aren't really . . . solid as such."  
  
"You've lost me."  
  
"Ultimately, everything is particles - protons, electrons, atoms, molecules, cells, all kind of stuck together by gravity."   
"All right . . ."  
  
"Well, this thing here, if it works, sort of . . . goes between the pieces of the human body. In this case, cells. It worms its way between the cells, until it finds what it's looking for, in this case, a blood vessel. If the gravitational pull between your cells isn't too great . . ."  
  
"Wouldn't it be, though? I mean, bullets bounce off of me, Lex."  
  
"Perhaps not. You say that you haven't always been this invulnerable. So maybe your cells are getting stronger, but not the gravitational pull. It's worth a shot, right?"  
  
Clark looked dubious, but he finally nodded. "Yeah. It's worth a try. How long will this take?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "On the human test subjects they've tried it on, it's taken anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. We'll have to try it and see. You'll have to stay relatively still, though. Wanna play Monopoly while we wait?"  
  
***  
  
"You obviously don't know how to play Monopoly." Lex grumbled.  
  
"Really?" Clark grinned as he handed Lex $350. Lex had insisted on being banker.  
  
"Yes." Lex said dryly as he handed Clark the card for Park Place. "The point is to get as many of the same color as you can. And you can't possibly collect both of the dark blue properties, because I already own Boardwalk."  
  
Clark grinned. "I love it when you spin things. Do it again."  
  
Lex pursed his lips disapprovingly.   
  
"I do, too, understand the game. If I buy Park Place, you can't have it." He explained unnecessarily. "Consider it payback for the Reading Railroad."  
  
"Why Clark. I never knew you wanted to be a railroad magnate. I can buy you a railroad, you know. A real one."  
  
"I don't want a real railroad. I wanted that card. Third from the top." Clark pointed at Lex's stack of cards with his free, right, hand.  
  
Lex, curious, leafed through the cards. "You're right. It is third from the top. You're getting more control with that x-ray vision thing."  
  
Clark grinned, then looked at the apparatus that stood above his left arm, humming softly to itself. "Looks like an oil derrick or something. I wonder how much longer this will take."  
  
"Well," Lex glanced at his watch, "it's been forty-five minutes. What do you say we give it another fifteen minutes?"  
  
Clark nodded and turned his attention back to the game board just as the humming of the pump changed. "Lex?" Clark asked apprehensively as the tube that rested against the inside of his elbow darkened with blood.  
  
The blood flowed upwards through the tubing and into a vial stuck into the top of the derrick. When it was full, Lex popped it off, the rubber stopper at the top of the tube keeping the blood sealed inside. He replaced that tube with another.  
  
"How . . . how many of those are you going to fill?"  
  
"Just. One. More." Lex removed this vial and put on a third.  
  
Once the third was full, Lex turned off the machine and removed the third vial. Then he detached the tube and squeezed the blood in it into a fourth collection tube.  
  
"Why so much?"  
  
"This may be our only chance to get some of your blood. I intend to make the most of it. Wanna come down to the lab with me while I put these in liquid nitrogen?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Then when we come back upstairs, we can grab a hamburger or something. Your body chemistry seems on the surface at least to be similar enough to ours that you probably lost some protein and iron with all of that blood. A little red meat will make that better."  
  
Lex headed for the door of the study. "Oh, and Clark?"  
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"I'm still going to kick your butt in Monopoly when we get back upstairs."  
  
"No you won't." Clark grinned. "But I'll make it up to you later."  
  
Lex returned the grin, slowly, seductively. "A forfeit if you win?"  
  
"I'll perform a forfeit if I lose."   
  
Lex's and Clark's gazes met, and the air fairly crackled with electricity.   
  
"Well, then," Lex cleared his throat, "I guess we'd better get these down to the lab so we can get back upstairs and finish this game. Don't suppose you'd be up for upgrading to strip Monopoly, would you?" 


	13. The Invitation

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 13, The Invitation  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing. I don't think.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
==========  
  
Martha was in the kitchen, sorting through flowers for her afternoon delivery, when she heard a knock at the door. Quickly shedding her stem-snipping gloves, Martha walked to the door. "May I help you?" She asked the dark-haired, nicely-dressed stranger on her doorstep.  
  
"Mrs. Kent?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Bruce Wayne. May I come in?"  
  
"Certainly." Martha responded, surprised. The last thing she'd expected when she got up that morning was a visit from another wealthy young billionaire. The one she had visiting already was plenty.  
  
She backed away from the door, admitting Bruce into the house.  
  
"You have a lovely home, Mrs. Kent."  
  
"Thank you. Would you like something to drink?"  
  
"Just some water, thank you." Bruce gracefully lowered himself onto the sofa.  
  
Martha went into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a glass of water.   
  
Handing it to him, she asked, "What can we do for you, Mr. Wayne?"  
  
"I'd like to speak with both you and Mr. Kent, if that's all right."  
  
"All right." Martha started worrying.  
  
"Don't worry, Mrs. Kent. It's nothing bad. You know that your son is seeing Lex Luthor, right?"  
  
"Yes."   
  
"And how well does that sit with you?"  
  
"I'm all right with it. They certainly seem to be good for each other. But Jonathan, that's Clark's father, he's . . . a little dubious."  
  
Bruce smiled a little, as if he knew just how much of an understatement that was. "Actually, I'd like to wait until your husband is available before I say any more. Could you please ask him if he could spare a moment?"  
  
"Certainly." Martha nodded and went to the phone to call Jonathan in from the field.  
  
***  
  
"Have you heard?" Chloe asked as she glided in for a landing on the seat next to Clark.  
  
Sensing some juicy gossip, the other three friends lean in. "What?" Clark asked for all of them.  
  
"I was just down in Kwan's office, and McGuire just turned in her notice."  
  
"She's quitting?" Clark asked.  
  
"Who'll teach Freshman English?" Pete asked.  
  
"Who'll coach the cheerleading squad?" Lana asked.  
  
"She'll be here through the end of the year. She's quitting to have a baby. She's just into her second trimester, so the baby's due . . ." Chloe started counting on her fingers.  
  
"Late October." Clark said. When all three looked at him surprised, he said, "What? Nine divided by three is three. Three times two is six. Six months left in her pregnancy. It's April now . . ."  
  
Chloe raised her eyebrows and continued. "Sounds like Kwan's going to try to hire an English teacher who can also coach the cheerleading squad."  
  
Lana heaved a sigh of relief. "Just as long as they don't have Lopez do it. How that woman ever got to be assistant coach is beyond me."  
  
Chloe gave Lana a quirky grin. "Well, I'll keep my ear to the ground and if I hear anything . . ." She was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She glanced down at the caller ID and an ear-to-ear grin broke out on her face.   
  
She answered it. "Natasha! Hi!" Then, without a backwards glance, Chloe stood and made her way to an empty table halfway across the room.  
  
Clark and Lana looked at Pete. "Isn't Natasha your cousin?" Lana asked.  
  
"Yeah." Pete looked befuddled as he stared at Chloe, who was chatting amiably on the phone.  
  
The trio sat in silence for a minute, then Clark spoke. "What did the two of you get for problem 39?"  
  
***  
  
Jonathan came in from the field, heading directly to the downstairs bathroom to wash his hands. Afterwards, he came into the living room. "Mr. Wayne." He greeted Bruce.  
  
Bruce stood and extended a hand. "Mr. Kent."  
  
Jonathan shied away from Bruce's hand. "I really shouldn't. I just came back from washing my hands, but still . . ."  
  
"I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, Mr. Kent." Bruce said in such a tone that Jonathan felt compelled to shake hands with him.  
  
After the two men had taken their seats, Bruce began. "I suppose I should just start in with what I want to talk to you about. But I want you to promise me that you'll hear me out before you make any decisions."  
  
Jonathan's mouth tightened into a thin white line, but he nodded. "Fair enough."  
  
"I know that you are aware that your son, Clark, is in a relationship with Lex Luthor."  
  
Jonathan bridled at this, but Martha's gentle hand on his shoulder calmed him down. "Yes." He responded shortly.  
  
"Are you aware that Lex wanted to bring Clark to a party that I'm giving next weekend?"  
  
Bruce and Martha could see Jonathan practically chewing on the inside of his mouth. "I have no intention . . ." Then he seemed to come to himself again. "Yes."  
  
"I'm here to invite the two of you," Bruce looked from Jonathan to Martha and back, "to attend the party as well."  
  
The last thing he was expecting was for Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthropist, to ask a midwestern farmer to a party at his mansion. The only argument he could give was, "I don't . . . I don't think we'd fit in in your kind of society, Mr. Wayne."  
  
"First, please call me Bruce, and second, this will not be any kind of society function. It's simply a gathering of friends. And I'd be honored if you would attend."  
  
Before he knew what he was saying, Jonathan said, "We'd be happy to attend."  
  
Bruce smiled warmly, but with an air of assurance, as if he knew their answer before they gave it. "Wonderful."   
  
"But we don't even know what night it is." Martha said.  
  
"It's a whole-weekend function. We begin with an alfresco dinner on Friday night. Then Saturday during the day, my guests usually go in to Chicago, or out onto Lake Michigan. Then Saturday evening is the black-tie dinner, and on Sunday, most of my out-of-town guests go home."  
  
Martha looked alarmed. "We don't have clothes for a black-tie dinner." She said worriedly.  
  
"And someone needs to be here to keep an eye on the farm." Jonathan protested.  
  
Bruce's mouth turned up in a small smile as he reached into his pocket. Pulling three cards out, he handed one to Jonathan and one to Martha. Martha gasped as she realized what she was holding.  
  
"These credit cards draw on one of my personal accounts. Go into Metropolis and get whatever you need. Only, be careful not to go too overboard. Limit yourselves to only one sailboat, for example. And as for style, as I said before, it's a gathering of friends; CMA will go over just as well as GQ."  
  
He handed the third card to Jonathan. It was a calling card that had the name _Alfred Pennyworth_ written on it. "Alfred is my most trusted employee. He will contact you in a few days, once he's made arrangements for someone to cover the farm for you. And if you need anything, anything at all, call Alfred. He's empowered to do anything that needs doing, and if by some chance, you need something that he can't provide, he always knows where I am."  
  
Nonplused, Jonathan could only say, "Thank you."  
  
"Yes, thank you." Martha echoed.  
  
"Thank you." Bruce said sincerely. "For raising the person who saved one of my best friends from himself."  
  
Then Bruce stood and smoothly walked to the door. "It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent."  
  
"You, too." Jonathan and Martha replied simultaneously.  
  
And then Bruce was gone, leaving a stunned Jonathan and Martha in his wake.  
  
"Persuasive." Martha said as she glanced down at the Gold Card with her name embossed on it, _Martha Clark Kent._  
  
"I'm just glad Lex isn't that persuasive, or we'd be his in-laws by now."   
  
***   
  
Lex had left work early to examine Clark's blood more closely.   
  
The night before, he had run a complete blood count on it, to find that everything in it -- red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, everything - was far above human normal.  
  
Amazed, Lex had done another complete blood count to check his results. That time, the numbers had declined to just above the high end of human normal.  
  
Lex took off his suitcoat and unfastened his tie as soon as he entered the lab. He folded the sleeves of his lavender dress shirt up to just above his elbows as he walked across to where he had stored Clark's blood.   
  
_Well, it's been nearly 24 hours. Let's see how this goes._ Lex put a dot of blood on each of three slides.  
  
He slipped two of the three slides into the refrigerator and fed the vial into the analyzer. As the machine ran, he pulled out his hematology books and took the slide to the microscope. He stained the sample and slid it onto the stage.  
  
He peered through the eyepiece and saw, _blood._ It was slightly disappointing. He wasn't sure what he expected to see. Perhaps at the rate Clark's blood levels had dropped, he was expecting just enough red blood cells to color the sample and nothing else. He certainly didn't expect it to look pretty much like the illustration on the cover of one of the hematology books.  
  
_Red blood cells. White blood cells. Platelets. And . . . what are those things?_ There were dark, asymmetrical specks of . . . something in Clark's blood. _I hope the sample's not contaminated with something._   
  
Grateful that he hadn't stained the other slides yet, he went back to the refrigerator. On his way across the room, he could see that the analyzer had finished. He read the screen attached. This sample of Clark's blood was human normal, on the dot.  
  
"That makes no sense at all." Lex whispered to himself.  
  
"What makes no sense?"  
  
Lex looked up, unable to resist smiling. "I was just running my third CBC." He indicated the screen.  
  
Clark looked at it. "You're right. Absolute nonsense."  
  
"And you said you want to be a doctor." Lex ribbed him.  
  
"I also said that I'm a high school freshman, Lex. I'm not supposed to understand this stuff yet. So what is it?"  
  
"All of your levels, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, leukocytes, everything, are all human normal."  
  
"But that makes no sense at all." Clark quoted his lover wryly.  
  
"That's what I said." Lex grinned. "But that's the third time I've run a CBC. The numbers keep coming down."  
  
"Why would they do that?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "Apparently, they've bottomed out. Anyway, I was looking at some of your blood under the microscope, and, well," he went to the refrigerator and took out one of the two slides still inside, then led Clark to the microscope.  
  
He opened one of the hematology books to a labeled photograph of blood cells. "This is human blood. Now look at yours."  
  
Clark peered into the eyepiece. "There's some . . . flakes of something here."  
  
"Yep."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I don't know. That's what this is for." He indicated the slide he'd just removed from the refrigerator.   
  
Clark stepped away from the microscope, and Lex replaced the stained slide with the unstained one. He was silent for a long moment.  
  
"Well?" Clark asked impatiently.  
  
"It's in this one, too, and apparently those specks, whatever they are, are black." Lex let Clark have the microscope again.  
  
"I've got black specks in my blood?"   
  
"Apparently."  
  
"Is that . . . Should I be worried?"  
  
"Dunno. Depends on what the specks are."  
  
"How do we find out?"  
  
Lex sighed. "I'm going to try to separate it out, then we can have it analyzed."  
  
"You can do that?"  
  
"Well, not me personally." Lex grinned. "I'll use a flow cytometer."  
  
"A what . . .?"  
  
"A flow cytometer. It uses lasers to separate the particles in the blood."  
  
"You have one?"  
  
"I'll have to get access to one. . ." His voice faded as he wandered back to the desk. _Ask Bill about flow cytometer,_ he wrote. He turned back around to find Clark paging through the introductory hematology book he'd bought.   
  
"You want to borrow that?"   
  
"Hm?" Clark looked up. "No. You can keep it."  
  
Lex could hear the reluctance in his young lover's tone. "I'm done with it." He assured him.   
  
"You sure?" Clark looked up hopefully.  
  
"Yes. I'm sure." Lex walked over and kissed Clark thoroughly. "Now, don't you have chores, or dinner, or something waiting for you?"  
  
"Yeah. You want to come over for dinner? Mom's discovered that she loves feeding you."  
  
Lex smiled. "I'd be happy to. I need to talk to your mom about something anyhow."   
  
***  
  
Lex and Clark rode to the Kent farm in Lex's Jaguar. They arrived to find Jonathan and Martha sitting in the living room, obviously concerned about something.  
  
"Hey. Is everything . . . all right?"  
  
There was a long silence as Martha and Jonathan looked from Clark, to Lex, and back, and Clark noticed the credit cards his parents were holding.   
  
"What? MetroBank send you credit cards in Devana's name again?"  
  
"I'm surprised you remembered that." Martha said with a smile. "We sold Devana when you were five."  
  
Clark shrugged. "I have a good memory, I guess. So? What's with the credit cards, then?"  
  
Martha handed hers to Clark, who showed it to Lex.  
  
"A gold card?" He spluttered. "How? Where?"  
  
"Lex's friend Bruce Wayne came by to invite us to that party at his house. He gave us these cards to pay for clothes for the black-tie dinner." Jonathan said in an accusatory tone.  
  
"He . . . came by?" Lex asked.  
  
"You sound surprised." Jonathan arched a brow at him.  
  
"Yes. Sort of. I did ask Bruce to extend an invitation to you. But I never dreamed that he'd come out here himself. I expected him to send you some kind of written invitation."  
  
Jonathan looked dubious.   
  
"But you are going? I mean, *we* are going?" Clark asked.  
  
Jonathan sighed. "Yes."  
  
Clark couldn't help himself, he grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet a couple of times. He stopped when he saw Lex grinning at him.  
  
"So, you're staying for dinner?" Martha asked.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. I'd also like to talk to you about something." Lex looked at Jonathan and Clark. "Actually, to ask your help with something."  
  
"Then why don't we go into my office and we can discuss it?" Martha indicated the kitchen.  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
Jonathan and Clark exchanged confused looks as their partners moved into the kitchen.  
  
Martha busied herself with dinner preparations. "What do you need my help with?"  
  
Lex sat at the table. "I'm looking to start phasing out my Dad's employees and hiring some of my own for the castle."  
  
"And . . .?"  
  
"And, frankly, I'm not sure what to look for. I was hoping that, since you know about . . . stuff like that, you could help me sort through resumes and maybe even be there for the interviews?"  
  
Martha smiled. "I think I can manage that. When do you need me?"  
  
"Friday, before we leave for Bruce's?"  
  
"I take it you have a candidate?"  
  
Lex nodded, not elaborating further.  
  
"What aren't you telling me?"  
  
"He's Tim Turner."  
  
Martha dropped the carrot she was cleaning into the sink. "Tim Turner? Lex, I don't think . . ."  
  
"I know. He's in prison. But you should see his portfolio. He's been on work release before, and it worked out really well, so I said I'd like to interview him. I asked the agency to keep it confidential until the interview itself, so he's not going to be casing the castle or anything like that."  
  
"I'd hope not. Why him, specifically?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "I guess it's because I've been given my share of second chances and I thought I should pass it on. From what I can tell, he's been in the correctional system for something like 11 years. And he's only 23. That means that he was 12 when he went in. He sounds like he's due for a second chance."  
  
"Or that he's a lost cause."  
  
"True. But I'm willing to take that chance."  
  
"You're either very brave or very foolish."  
  
"But will you help me? If it's any consolation, his past is property crimes, not violent crime, so it's doubtful he'll mug us or anything."  
  
Martha snorted. "I guess. If you can guarantee that I'll get out safely."  
  
"I think that's pretty safe."  
  
"Then I'll be happy to help."  
  
---------------  
  
Technobabble Summary:   
  
For information on complete blood counts.  
  
And on hematology analyzers  
  
Yes, there's such a thing as a flow cytometer, and here's how it works. 


	14. Friday

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 14, Friday  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Rating: PG-13 Pairing: Clark/Lex   
Category: Established Relationship   
Spoilers for: Nothing. I don't think.   
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
A/N: I've finally discovered how Lex's security system works. Hints follow, but there'll be more detail later, when we see Tim get his employee orientation. If he gets the job. :looking around to see if anyone caught my slip:

I know, it's been, like, seven months. Hopefully the wait for H15 won't be as long. You may want to reread H13, not only because of the seemingly-interminable wait, but also because I've condensed the timeline a little, and made H13 the Monday before they leave for Bruce's party, and H14 the day they leave.  
  
============  
  
Lex and Martha arrived on time at the minimum-security facility and were escorted into the conference room by a security guard.  
  
"You're sure you want to go through with this." Martha asked.   
  
"I need to start building my own staff, and I've seen this guy's portfolio. He does great work."  
  
"You're all right with him being a convict?"  
  
Lex shrugged. "He's only committed property crimes, nothing violent, and I've become a big believer in second chances. Without second chances, I'd be my dad all over again by now."  
  
Surprised, Martha nodded. "As long as you feel safe with him around . . . "  
  
They were interrupted by the arrival of Tim. He was a scruffy-looking man with shaggy sandy-brown hair, like a malnourished Todd Oldham.   
  
Tim did a double-take when he looked at Lex. "You're . . . ."  
  
The small, comic book geek part of Lex always hoped that they'd finish this with _a duck!_, but instead, Tim finished his thought the way everyone else always did, " . . . Lex Luthor.  
  
"I don't know what you want with me," Tim said mistrustfully, "but I'm not in that line of work anymore."  
  
Lex made a sound halfway between a laugh and a sigh. "I'm not looking for someone in *that* line of work," he said, carefully avoiding the word _arsonist._ "I'm interested in hiring you on as my groundskeeper."  
  
"Your groundskeeper?" Tim asked as he sat heavily in the chair opposite Lex and Martha.  
  
"Yes. I've seen your portfolio, and I'm impressed. My estate covers quite a lot of territory in Smallville, and I need someone to handle it for me."  
  
"But why *me*?"  
  
Lex smiled over at Martha briefly, "Smallville has been a very good place to have a second chance, even though my first contact with it wasn't all that great, and I hoped that maybe you'd be up for a second chance there, too."  
  
***  
  
Half an hour later, Martha and Lex left the Lowell County minimum-security facility together.   
  
"Well, he certainly seems sincere about wanting a new beginning," Martha said.  
  
They walked on in silence, while Lex thought about Tim Turner.   
  
"This is nice," Martha broke the silence as they walked through the parking lot.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"It's just nice to be able to spend some time with you. To see you away from the guys."  
  
"I'm still a guy, even if I'm going to be your daughter-in-law," Lex smirked.  
  
"I know that. I meant Clark and Jonathan is all. And speaking of daughter-in-law, when can I ask you about your intentions toward my son?"  
  
"If you can dish it out, I can take it," Lex responded affably.  
  
"All right. What are your intentions toward my son?"  
  
"If I could, I'd take him to Vermont and put a ring on his finger this weekend, instead of taking him to Bruce's party."  
  
His directness took her breath away, "You would?"  
  
Lex nodded, "Though the State of Vermont would rather we wait until he's eighteen, and I also defer to your wish that we wait until he's out of high school."  
  
Martha looped her hand through the crook of Lex's arm, giving him a sunny smile as they continued the walk to Lex's car.  
  
***  
  
"Homework?" Jonathan asked Clark.  
  
"Sort of," Clark closed the book slightly so his father could see the title. "It's Lex's."  
  
"Why is Lex reading books on hematology, and why would he loan them to you?"  
  
"It's research for a personal project," Clark didn't dare tell his father that he was the project. "And since I've been thinking of becoming a doctor . . . ."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"Is that a problem?"  
  
"Well, aside from the fact that you're supposed to be using your *gifts* to help people, no."  
  
"Dad . . ."  
  
"Do you have any idea what your mother and I have gone through, what we've done, to protect you, to . . . "  
  
"And I want to make the most out of the life you've given me. Is that so wrong?"  
  
"But anyone can become a doctor, your gifts are something that only you can do."   
  
"Oh. So I'm not smart, but I can lift heavy things."  
  
"That's not what I'm saying," Jonathan responded with exaggerated patience.  
  
"Then what are you saying when you say that I shouldn't become a doctor because I should be using my *gifts* to help people?"  
  
"You're taking my words out of context."  
  
Clark just glared at his father, refusing to dignify that with a response.  
  
"I just wonder if you really want to do this, or if it's some idea that Lex Luthor put into your head."  
  
"Dad . . ."  
  
"Oh, you think you'll become a pediatrician, or an oncologist or something like that. But once Luthor's done with you, you'll be some Beverly Hills plastic surgeon."  
  
"First, I have no idea what specialization I'll go into. If I end up as a doctor at all. But even if I do go into *reconstructive* surgery," he emphasized the word clearly, "a lot of good is done in that field. A few overpriced tummy tucks and nose jobs would free up a lot of time to help children with birth defects or burn victims."  
  
"Seems you'd be better just to keep them from getting . . ."  
  
"Not. Another. Word." Martha's voice interrupted them.  
  
Both of her men turned, speechless.  
  
"Clark. Lex is on the porch waiting for you. Jonathan. Kitchen. Now."  
  
Clark hightailed it out of the house, leaving his parents alone.  
  
"Lex and I could hear you out in the driveway," Martha said once Clark was out on the porch and they were in the kitchen. "If you want to keep Clark's gifts a secret, bellowing about them at the top of your lungs is *not* the most efficient way to do it.  
  
"I don't know why you've got this fixation on Clark using his gifts to help others, but Clark wants to be a doctor. Most men would burst with pride to hear their son say that he wants to be a doctor, but not you. No, you have to be different."  
  
Jonathan grumbled something about Luthors.  
  
"It has nothing to do with Lex, Jonathan. You've had this fixation since we discovered how strong Clark is, like it was some personal message to you from God. But Clark isn't just strong, and fast, he's also very, very intelligent. And if he wants to use that intelligence over his other gifts, then that's just something you'll have to learn to live with."  
  
***  
  
After his mother kicked him out of the house, Clark sat down next to Lex on the porch swing, "How'd it go?"  
  
"Pretty well. I mean, you've seen his work."  
  
"But do you really need a topiary peacock on your front lawn?"  
  
Lex chuckled, "Well, maybe that was a little excessive, but you've got to admit that Nell would have loved it for Lana's birthday party. Actually, I was thinking about the rose arbor he did at the First Community Church in Kerrville. Something like that outside my office window would be nice. Or some other flower. Wisteria?"  
  
Clark shrugged, "Whatever you want."  
  
"Nothing's definite. I need to introduce Tim to Liza of course."  
  
Clark nodded, "And if she likes him?"  
  
"I was thinking unlimited access to the grounds and greenhouses, but only access to the house with an escort."  
  
"Sounds like you've thought about this a lot."  
  
"I'm thinking about hiring a convict on work release. Of course I've thought about security. Particularly yours."  
  
Lex took Clark's hand, and they sat in silence for a minute.  
  
"What's up with your dad?"  
  
"The usual. He wants me to use my gifts to help people; I want to help people with my brain."  
  
"It's really sad how dads sometimes just don't get it. He'll come around. He's got," Lex did some quick math in his head, "11 years to get used to the idea, after all."  
  
They heard the back door slam, then a minute later, the front door opened and Martha stepped out onto the porch. "I think that Jonathan needs to cool off a little."  
  
"Do you want me to postpone the helicopter?" Lex asked.  
  
Martha shook her head. "We're just about packed, and I'm sure Jonathan won't be too long."  
  
Sure enough, half an hour before they were to leave for Luthor Manor, Jonathan turned up, still sweaty from whatever he'd been doing in the barn. "I'll take a quick shower and be right down."  
  
Fifteen minutes later, a freshly-washed Jonathan came downstairs, his hair still wet from his shower, wearing freshly-starched jeans and a shirt that Martha had just pressed that morning. "Do I meet with your approval?" He asked when he came downstairs.  
  
Martha sidled up to him and kissed him firmly. "Mmm. You even brushed your teeth," she kidded.  
  
"Look, son, I'm sorry about blowing my stack, but you sort of blindsided me with this med school thing, and . . . "  
  
"That's all right, Dad." Clark gave his father a manly, back-slapping hug and then retreated to stand by Lex again.  
  
"So," Jonathan addressed Lex, "I know we're running a little early, but . . . ."  
  
He was interrupted by the sound of tires in front of the house.   
  
"That's probably the limo now."  
  
Jonathan's jaw tightened as he suppressed the urge to complain about Lex's lavish lifestyle as he picked up his and Martha's suitcases.  



	15. Bruce's Party, Day 1

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 15, Bruce's Party, Day 1  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Nothing. I don't think.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.   
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
A/N: It's alive! **ALIVE!** Bwa-ha-ha!  
  
============  
  
Four hours, and only a few complaints from Jonathan about conspicuous consumption, later, Bruce Wayne's limousine pulled up in the drive in front of his house. Lex and the three Kents climbed out as Bruce came out the front door.  
  
He greeted them, paying special attention to Jonathan and Martha, then sent them upstairs to their suite in the care of Alfred, to whom Martha had spoken on the phone once.  
  
Alfred directed the elder Kents to their master suite and Clark and Lex each to their respective rooms, one on either side of the Kents' suite. Then, assuring them that their bags would be brought up momentarily, Alfred left.  
  
"Looks like Bruce is helping your folks with their goal of keeping your virtue intact," Lex whispered to Clark indicating their separate, and separated, rooms.  
  
"Jonathan, did he say master 'suite'?" Martha opened the double doors that Alfred had indicated. "Oh, my God. Jonathan, look!"  
  
All three men ran to the door, immediately seeing what had caused Martha's outcry. The room within was exquisite, dominated by a king-sized brass bed with linens in shades of white and light blue, the motif of white and light blue was repeated on the walls, and as the quartet looked closer, they could see that the walls were covered with the same fabric that covered the duvet on the bed.  
  
Matching doors were on the left and right walls of the room, and Martha walked to one as Jonathan walked to the other. The door that Martha opened led to, not just a closet, but a full dressing room with mirrors, adequate light fixtures, and a chest of drawers.  
  
Jonathan's door led to a full bath with a huge sunken tub and a bidet.  
  
Lex furrowed his brow and left the room. He came back a moment later, grinning. "Do you know where we are?"  
  
"Is this a trick question?" Clark couldn't help asking.  
  
"This is the suite that Bruce's uncle Philip had built for his in-laws. His wife, Julie, had two half-siblings, I can't remember their names, and when Philip moved them from Gotham, Julie made him make a suite for her family."  
  
"And you're sure that this is it?"  
  
Lex nodded, "The suite was completely self-contained; there's a kitchen off of the sitting room."  
  
Two young men entered their suite, then, their bags in tow.  
  
Martha went immediately to the four garment bags that held their formalwear, moving them into the dressing room. Lex smoothly tipped each of the young men $20, ignoring the sour-lemon face that Jonathan made as he did so.  
  
After the two young men left, Lex addressed Clark's father, "Those aren't Bruce's regular employees. He hires the college-aged children of his employees to staff his house this weekend. He pays them very well for their time, but a little extra is always welcome."  
  
"Oh. I suppose I should reimburse you half of what you paid them, then," Jonathan admitted grudgingly.  
  
"No need, Mr. Kent. I'll just let you pick up the tip next time one's warranted," he added with a grin that Jonathan reluctantly returned.  
  
They walked downstairs, where Alfred waited. "Since you have arrived, the other guests have gone out to the patio."  
  
"Thank you, Alfred," Lex said with a smile, leading the other three in the correct direction.  
  
The evening was balmy, the shadows lengthening as the sun began to disappear behind the house, the air filled with the sound of the gentle lapping of Lake Michigan against the shore.  
  
"Here you are," Bruce said as they approached. He raised his voices, "Everyone, this is the Kent family, Jonathan and Martha, and their son, Clark. Of course, you all know Lex."  
  
Everyone smiled warmly as Bruce clapped Lex on the back. "You'll introduce the Kents around?" He asked.  
  
"Of course." Lex smiled back.  
  
People began to line up at the buffet-style table. Clark looked everyone over, his eyes alighting on a young woman about his own age, red-headed and in a wheelchair.  
  
"That's Babs. She and I are usually the only people here Bruce's age. She's younger, though. I think she's 19. Needless to say, she'll be glad to meet you," Lex said.  
  
A minute later, Lex said, "I take that back."  
  
"She won't be happy to meet me?"  
  
"No. You and I and Babs aren't Bruce's only contemporaries. See that guy?"  
  
Clark followed Lex's line of vision to a young man with sandy brown hair. "Yeah?"  
  
"Ted Kord. Of Kord Industries."  
  
"Kord Industries?"   
  
Lex smiled at the awe in Clark's voice. Kord Industries was the manufacturer of the hottest game console on the market.  
  
"Let me guess. Prep school?"  
  
"No. He's actually one of Bruce's friends. They met at some business function or something a few years ago."  
  
Clark watched the sandy-haired man looking from one guest to another, his gaze finally locking onto Babs; staying there. Clark filed this away to ask Lex about later as they stepped up to get their dinners.  
  
Clark never got a chance to speak with Lex privately after dinner, though, because as he headed back towards the patio after visiting the restroom, he heard a deep voice call out, "Clark!"  
  
Following the sound of the voice led Clark into Bruce's study, where the young billionaire sat behind the desk. "Sit down, won't you?"  
  
Nervously, Clark sat.  
  
"So, have you given any thought to what we talked about at your farm?"  
  
Clark nodded, "Yes, sir. I told Lex everything."  
  
"You did?" Bruce looked surprised.  
  
"Well, as much as I know. And I told him that you know, too."  
  
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Did you?"  
  
Clark looked at him levelly. "You wanted me to be honest . . ."  
  
Bruce smiled wryly and nodded, "point taken.  
  
"What about your parents?"  
  
"Well, they already knew what was in my storm cellar," Clark responded evasively. When Bruce didn't rise to the bait, he said, "Neither of them know that you or Lex knows. It would just make them suspicious of both of you, and the last thing I need is for my parents to go back to mistrusting Lex."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
"Clark!" Lex's voice echoed through the halls.  
  
"You'd better go. Sounds like someone's looking for you."  
  
Clark nodded and, smiling, left Bruce's office.  
  
Once Clark had joined him at the base of the stairs, Lex led him up to the suite, where a roaring fire and a chilled bottle of sparkling grape juice had been set out.  
  
Clark turned surprised, pleased, eyes on Lex.  
  
"Your mom and dad are watching television in the media room with some of the other guests, so I figured this would be a good time to be alone. Probably our last chance until next week," he said, alluding to the heavy social schedule they had for Saturday.  
  
Lex poured them each a glass of the grape juice, which they sipped while curled up together on the sofa.  
  
When Jonathan and Martha came to bed, the two young men were already asleep. 


	16. Bruce's Party, Day 2

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 16, Bruce's Party, Day 2  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: It's May, 2002. Do the math.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.  
  
Feedback: Always welcome, either by lj comment, e-mail or using the review system at fanfiction.net.  
  
A/N: The Museum Campus in Chicago, Illinois, was formally opened in 1998. AOT is 12 years older than I am, so I'm using my own childhood memories as Martha's. I didn't want Martha to sound like a travelogue, so the full name of "the aquarium" is the John G. Shedd Aquarium.   
  
I've been heading towards this installment since Honesty 1. And believe it or not, this is not the final thing I had planned way back then.  
  
=======  
  
Lex woke, for him, early the next morning. He lifted his head to look at the clock by his bedside. _I'm not in my bed. That hasn't happened in . . . ._ It was too early to do the math.   
  
Nevertheless, the clock said 7:00, and he could hear voices from outside his bedroom door.  
  
He tensed for a moment; voices outside one's bedroom door usually meant a murder, or at least kidnapping, attempt. Then he recognized one of the voices as belonging to Clark, and relaxed.  
  
_I'm at Bruce's._ He let his head fall back down. _Clark's out there and. So are his parents. Great._ Spending the day with the in-laws was better than a murder or kidnapping attempt, but not by much.  
  
But he was going to be able to spend the day with Clark -- he conveniently forgot about the other Kents -- and that evening, they'd be able to dance together in public for the first time ever.  
  
That thought was enough to roust him out of bed to face the day.  
  
He came out of the shower to find Clark lounging across his bed, "Clark!" he whispered. "Your folks . . ."  
  
"Are downstairs at breakfast," he said, a come-hither expression in his eyes.  
  
"Are they?" Lex responded, crawling up Clark's body, inhaling the aroma of freshly-washed farmboy.  
  
Soon, Lex was where he wanted to be. Well, almost where he wanted to be. Close enough to kiss, which he did, with gusto.  
  
"You know, we don't want you getting your clothes all wrinkled," Lex said as he began to unbutton Clark's shirt, which for once was broadcloth, rather than flannel.  
  
"Heaven forbid," Clark lifted up so that Lex could pull the shirt down his arms.  
  
They were interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by, "Lex? Clark?" in Bruce Wayne's unmistakable baritone.  
  
Clark was so startled, he sat completely upright, knocking Lex from his perch and onto the floor in the process.  
  
"Are you two all right in there?" Bruce asked, a definite grin in his voice, just after the muffled thump.  
  
"Yes, Mr. . . . Bruce," Clark looked sheepishly at Lex, mouthing, "sorry," as he helped his lover back up.  
  
"Your parents are wondering what's taking you so long," Bruce said. The grin in his tone had become an outright chuckle.  
  
"My shower took longer than I expected," Lex said with cool aplomb. "Tell them we'll be down as soon as I'm dressed," he helped Clark shrug back into his own shirt.  
  
"I'll pass on the message."  
  
When Clark and Lex made it downstairs, they joined Jonathan and Martha, who were talking to Alfred.  
  
"We're taking one of Bruce's limos into the Loop to visit the Field Museum," Martha informed the boys when they joined the conversation.  
  
"A limo?" Lex asked.  
  
"Either that, or try to get these two on public transportation," Martha nodded her head at Jonathan.  
  
"I could dr -" Lex stopped then as everyone looked at him. "The limo's good."  
  
When the limo dropped them off, Martha looked around wide-eyed. "This is much nicer."  
  
"Nicer than what?" Clark asked.  
  
"Lake Shore Drive's northbound lanes used to go through right there," she pointed, "and a tunnel used to run under the street, so you could walk from the Field Museum to the aquarium.  
  
"It was also much louder back then." She added as an afterthought, listening to the birds chirping in the trees.  
  
Several hours of the Kents ignoring the boys' discreet handholding later, they returned outside.  
  
"So, the aquarium, the planetarium, or back to Bruce's?" Lex asked.  
  
"Well, since they took the astronomy area out of the Field Museum, I vote for the planetarium," Clark opined.  
  
That evening, while dressing for the dinner party, Lex took Clark aside. "I have something for you. Ever since the day you rescued me, I've been thinking about this. It belonged to my maternal grandfather," Lex reached into the pocket of his tux and pulled out a velvet jewelry box.  
  
Clark opened it and took out a man's ring with a blue stone.   
  
"It's a topaz. It's, um, . . . thesamecolorasyoureyes."  
  
Clark grinned blindingly. "Thank you," he said as he slipped the ring on. It was a perfect fit.  
  
Holding hands, they joined the elder Kents. Martha was wearing a peacock blue silk dress - nothing fancy, but clearly well-made and expensive. Jonathan was wearing a tux with a skinny bow tie which made him look like he was going to receive an award for country music.  
  
"Well, let's get downstairs, shall we?" Martha asked brightly.  
  
Soon they were seated at the expansive table of the dining room, though Clark privately thought it was more of a banquet hall than a dining room. Lex and the Kents were spread out checkerboard style - Jonathan at the end closest to Bruce, across from Babs, Martha next to Babs, across from Jim Gordon, Clark next to Jim, across from Bruce's date, Jesse Chambers, and Lex next to Jesse across from Ted Kord. Other guests whom Clark didn't know filled in the rest of the table.  
  
Throughout dinner, Clark kept watching Ted watching Babs. Finally, he spoke, "You two together?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You and . . . and Babs."  
  
Ted snorted, "She'd never give me the time of day."  
  
"Have you asked?"  
  
"Look at her. She's . . . . And she's totally in love with Bruce, anyhow."  
  
Clark looked from Bruce to Babs and back, "If you say so."  
  
After dinner, the dancing began. Clark was surprised to find that his parents were very good dancers. Lex took him out on the dance floor a couple of times, and also danced with Martha and Jesse, handing each off to Clark at the end of the dance.  
  
Halfway through the evening, Lex took the bandleader aside for a moment, then dragged Clark out into the corridor.  
  
They barely stepped away from the door of the ballroom when the music struck up.  
  
Clark's jaw dropped.  
  
"What? You think I made you practice all those hours and wasn't going to actually do it?"  
  
They had previously agreed that Lex would lead, so Clark clapped his hand on Lex's shoulder as Lex put his hand on Clark's hip. They clasped their other, outstretched, hands, as they stepped into the first moves of the tango.  
  
Holding each other close, never looking down, they stepped unerringly together, into each other's space one time, then legs perfectly even the next. They moved down the corridor and halfway back up before ending the song with a brief, but passionate, kiss.  
  
The silence that followed the music was punctuated by one pair of hands clapping.   
  
They looked up to see Babs watching them, grinning widely.  
  
"Very nice, you two," she said, rolling closer. "And no dipping or anything."  
  
"The tango started out as a pantomime of two men fighting over a woman, then became a dance of seduction. We sort of hybridized the two approaches," Lex said in full lecture mode.  
  
"Apparently."  
  
The music started up again. Clark asked, "Um, do you dance?"  
  
"Not really. I have some strength in my legs, but not enough to . . ."  
  
"I'm really strong. I could hold you up. You wouldn't flop around or anything." He added as an afterthought, then blushed.  
  
Babs looked to Lex, who nodded, "He is strong. Very."  
  
"You don't mind?" She asked him.  
  
"Be my guest."  
  
Clark helped her to her feet, then once she was in position, guided them in gentle circles around the corridor.  
  
He was brought up short when someone tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Can I cut in?" Ted Kord asked.  
  
Clark looked to Babs, silently willing her to accept.  
  
"Um, I'm not . . . ."  
  
"I won't let you fall," Ted promised.  
  
"All right," she agreed, still a little hesitantly.  
  
Clark let Ted take her and stepped back. He couldn't see why Ted thought that Babs had any feelings for Bruce. The way she was looking at Ted was unmistakable.  
  
A message Ted got loud and clear as he helped her back into her wheelchair and she gave him a long, lingering, kiss.  
  
The kiss went on so long that Clark and Lex beat a hasty retreat back into the ballroom, where Bruce was talking to a stricken-looking Jonathan.  
  
"What's up?" Clark asked as they approached his father.  
  
"Bruce was just telling me that a tornado hit Smallville tonight."   
  
=======  
  
It's been a while since I've left y'all with a good, solid, cliffhanger. :cackles evilly: 


	17. The Return to Smallville

Title: Honesty Chapter 17, The Return to Smallville  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Late Tempest, but not Vortex

Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.

Feedback: Always welcome, either by lj comment, e-mail or using the review system at heart froze in his chest as he reached blindly for Lex's hand. Once he had it, he asked, "Has anyone been hurt?"

"It's too early to say; all of the phone lines are down. I just got the news from a contact in Grandville. Three touched down south of town at 8:00 this evening.

"That's all I can tell you for now."

"We've got to get back," Jonathan insisted.

"Not tonight. They've closed all of the airports in Lowell County."

"We won't need the airport. You can just send us in a helicopter."

"I can't."

Jonathan started getting angry, but, like a cat, Bruce seemed to increase in size, "If it's not safe to fly in a plane, it's certainly not safe for a helicopter. Smallville will still be there in the morning. And if the situation is that dire, my men can handle it."

Jonathan instantly backed down.

"Why don't you and Mrs. Kent go on to bed. I'll have someone come wake you as soon as we've been given the all-clear. That way, you can be on the road as early as possible."

Jonathan nodded, grudgingly, "Thanks."

The sky outside was barely light when Martha poked her head into Clark's room. "We'll be leaving for the airport in an hour."

"Thanks, Mom."

Clark showered and dressed, then joined his parents at breakfast. Lex came down ten minutes later, and Clark watched while the billionaires debated the best way back to Smallville - helicopter or private jet.

The winner was private jet to Metropolis, helicopter from Metropolis to Smallville. They'd land at the Kents' home and Jonathan and Martha could check on their own property before heading out to help their neighbors.

As luck would have it, the flight to Metropolis was the last bit of peace the boys would have for a while.

Upon their landing in Metropolis, the plane was met by Dominic Senatori. "Lex," he said, eyes flickering briefly to take in the assembled Kents, "I have bad news for you."

"Yes?" Lex asked impatiently when Dominic hesitated.

"The mansion. It was hit by the tornado. They weren't prepared, and . . . there was fairly extensive damage."

_This hardly rates a private visit,_ Lex groused silently.

"Your father was injured. He's at Metropolis General."

Lex froze. _What was Dad doing in the mansion? Doesn't matter._ "How is he?"

"It doesn't look good. He was trapped under a column. It took the staff a while to find him. He's in a coma now, and they may have to operate."

Lex knew that however much he wanted to stay with the Kents, his place was with his father. He glanced back at his boyfriend and his family. They silently urged him to go. So it was that without even a handclasp from his boyfriend in farewell, Lex left for the hospital.

The Kents, for their part, were bundled hurriedly onto a helicopter and headed off to Smallville.

When they landed, all was as it had appeared when they left. 

Two young men came out of the house. They introduced themselves and updated Jonathan on the state of the livestock and the neighbors. Once Jonathan was assured that everything was fine, the Kents addressed themselves to the needs of their neighbors.

Jonathan and Martha got in the truck and headed for downtown Smallville while Clark went over to Lana's on his way to the mansion to check out the damage there.

When Clark arrived at Nell's house, Lana and Pete were on the porch, and Lana looked like she'd been crying.

"Is everything all right?" Clark asked, "Chloe?" _Please let Chloe be all right. I'll never forgive myself if . . ._

"Chloe's fine," Pete assured him. 

"When I got home last night, I didn't even notice that the window was open," Lana said. "It took me until this morning to notice - my necklace was stolen last night."

Not the most exciting of cliffhangers, but I felt I needed to break here, because here is where my old Whitfic story, Conduit, fits into the Honestyverse. Well, or will fit in, once the Honestyverse reaches that point. I originally set the story in 2004, but I'm going to move it back to 2003. 


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Honesty -- Chapter 18  
Author: PepperjackCandy  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clark/Lex  
Category: Established Relationship  
Spoilers for: Tempest/Vortex (sort of)

Disclaimer: I own nothing Smallville-related, or related in any other way to Clark Kent, Superman or any of the various creations of the wonderful folks at DC Comics.

Feedback: Always welcome, either by lj comment, e-mail or using the review system at When we last left Honesty, Smallville had been hit by a tornado (i.e. the one in Tempest). Lex found that Lionel had been at Luthor Manor when the tornado hit, and had been seriously injured. Lana, Pete, Chloe, and Pete's cousin Natasha Irons had been at the Spring Dance. Lana returned home to find her bedroom ransacked and her meteor-rock necklace gone.

For the fate of Lana's necklace, see the slightly-in-the-future Conduit at and Conduit in my lj. Also, all of my honestyverse stuff can be found here: http://pepperjackcandy. so-fast-you-might-miss-it crossover in this one. We may see this character again, but I think she'll be pretty much permanently on the periphery.

Also, many thanks to for helping me out with my question about blood.

It was several days after their return from Chicago when Lex finally returned to Luthor Manor. His father's hospitalization, and the resultant need to stabilize LuthorCorp, had taken up the lion's share of his time, in the Aesop's Fable sense of the term.

Pun totally intended, he thought as he collapsed onto the relatively rubble-free divan. He scanned the room, mentally triaging the repairs that needed to be made.

Shattered glass, broken objets d'art, and chunks of wood from the ceiling lay everywhere.

And then, in a patch of sunlight, he saw something shiny and red.

He knew the room well, and there wasn't anything this particular shade of red in this room. In fact it looked like a puddle of still-liquid blood; if there were any reason for blood that wasn't dried out to be in this room.

Fearing that someone else was in his house, and was hurt, Lex walked over to the puddle.

When he got close enough, he saw pieces of broken glass underneath it; and then he identified it. It was a vial of Clark's blood from his lab.

He sat down hard on the floor. He used a bit of wood lying nearby as a scoop to pick up a small sample of the blood, which had just exhibited another distinctly non-human trait. It had lain there for days, and yet it hadn't dried or spoiled at all.

He ran down to the lab for a vial.

Upon his return to the library, he scooped as much of Clark's blood as he could into the fresh vial, then returned to the lab and quickly made a slide and put it under the microscope. The blood was so thick with corpuscles and platelets that Lex wondered how it had managed to stay liquid. Not only that, but the red corpuscles were fully oxygenated. The only thing that hadn't changed was the number of the black flecks that Lex had seen in Clark's blood before.

Lex started a complete blood count on the rest of the blood in the vial, then went to handle his security problem.

Five minutes later, Lex was heading down to the kennels, one of Lionel's shirts in hand.

"Elizabeth," he addressed his head of security, "I need to permanently ban my father from the property." He handed her the shirt.

"Permanently?"

"He can only come into the house escorted by one of my staff, and only when I'm home. And I want to be notified of who he arrives with whenever he does visit."

"I'll get right on it, Mr. Luthor."

"Thanks." He turned to leave.

"Mr. Luthor?" She said to his retreating back.

He turned around. "Yes?"

"You know, the dogs would do a better job if you spent some time with them."

"Isn't that your job?"

"They really need a connection with you, as well."

Lex turned slightly gray.

"Mr. Luthor? Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm just not that fond of dogs."

"But these are [your dogs, Mr. Luthor. I promise no harm will come to you."

Lex weighed the pros and cons of putting Elizabeth in her place for implying that he was afraid of dogs (though, unfortunately, it was true). He was saved from having to do so when Clark arrived.

The dogs began wagging their tails so hard they practically snapped in half. Clark reached down to pet them, naming each individually. Lex couldn't tell them apart. He wondered how Clark could.

Then Clark ran off, the dogs in pursuit. Every once in a while, Clark would lean over, pick up something from the ground (which, Lex would find out later, was a ball), call a name and throw it. One dog (and only one dog) would then chase the ball. He'd repeat this with another dog, and so on. Eventually, each dog would bring back the ball, and Clark would throw it again.

Lex watched, amazed at the camaraderie between Clark and the dogs.

"Tell you what, why don't you come around tomorrow and help me with grooming them?"

Lex was unsure. "Like baths . . .?"

"Like brushing. It'll help you bond with them, and you can get to know them one at a time."

After Clark finished playing with the dogs, Lex and he walked to the house together.

"I didn't expect to see you in the kennels," Clark said by way of opening conversation as they stepped into the house.

"We need to talk about that."

Clark was silent as he took in the destruction in the office.

"My dad was here, as you know. What you don't know is what he was doing here.

"Somehow, he got into the lab. He was apparently trying to make off with a vial of blood from the lab."

"My . . . ."

Lex interrupted him, "Yes, that blood." He pulled a piece of paper and a pen from a relatively-unscathed drawer. He wrote can you check for bugs?

Clark nodded and looked around. "All clear."

"We'll need to do this in the hallway outside the lab, too. And the mechanism of the lock on the door. There are a lot of moving parts in there; I just want to make sure they're all mechanical, and none are electronic, in that case.

"I need to know how he got in there," he added, kicking himself mentally for whatever oversight he'd committed.

"However," he brightened up, "I think he may have done us a favor."

"Do I want to know?"

"Yes. You do. Come this way."

Lex and Clark walked down to the lab, and Lex typed in the six-digit password, 169531, as Clark checked for bugs.

"Nothing," Clark responded to Lex's inquiring look.

Lex opened the door as realization hit him. "My password must be too obvious."

"What?"

"The pass code. It's one of Alexander's battles, Aornus, converted into numerals. Then I converted each numeral into one digit by adding them together. It's too obvious."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Change the password, of course. Can you do me a favor? Making sure to check for surveillance equipment before doing [anything unusual, run home and get a six-letter word from your father? Other than your mother's name, that is."

"My dad?"

"Can you think of anyone who'd be better at picking a word that Lionel Luthor can't guess?"

With a wry grin, Clark zipped from the room.

Moments later, he was standing next to his dad in the field. "Hey, dad?"

"Yes?"

"I need a six-letter word."

"Doing a crossword puzzle or something?"

"We need the last word that Lionel Luthor would think of."

"Um," Jonathan paused, thinking, then he grinned widely. "How about 'thanks'?"

"That's great! Thanks." He zipped back to Lex's house.

While Clark was gone, Lex checked the CBC he had run. The numbers were, as Lex had expected, through the roof.

He ran the sample through again, expecting that the numbers would have dropped, just as they had months earlier, when Lex had first run a CBC on Clark's blood.

"'Thanks,'" Clark said as he returned to the room.

"For what?"

"No. That's the word my dad chose. 'Thanks.'"

Lex sat down and did some calculations on a scrap of paper. He opened the lock on the door and programmed in 281521. Then he stopped and did it differently: 125182. Satisfied, at least for the moment, he closed the door and indicated for Clark to join him at the counter.

He reached over and grabbed the printed CBC, glancing at it and handing it to Clark. "Well, what do you think?"

"Um, my cell counts are really, really high. Other than that . . ."

"Clark, this blood sat out on the floor in a patch of sunlight for a couple of days."

"You think that's it?"

"Well, they call the scientific method 'empirical' for a reason," Lex said as he took the final vial of Clark's blood out of the refrigerator. He fed a small amount through the blood count machine and then left the room. "You coming?"

"So what are we doing?"

Lex propped the vial up on the sill of a broken window. "Feel like a game of pool?"

Two games of pool later, they took the vial back down to the lab. Lex cleaned the machine and put some of the still-warm blood in the machine.

"Now we'll control for other variables by keeping it warm, but removing the exposure to light," he put the vial on something that looked like a hot plate, settling a piece of black fabric over it.

The second report came out, and they went to look at the first two. "My numbers are closer to human normal in the first one, but levels of pretty much everything are raised in the second."

Lex siphoned off another sample from the vial under the cloth. "The temperature's staying constant," he remarked to Clark as he brought it to the CBC machine. "The exposure to air hasn't changed from one sample to another. Let's see what we get."

Sure enough, the levels of all of the cells except the black flecks in Clark's blood had started to decline.

"So what are the black things?" Clark asked.

"Some kind of solar cell, maybe?" Lex shrugged.

Suddenly, his aspect brightened. "I've got an idea."

He hurried to the cupboard and pulled out a tourniquet, a butterfly needle, a tube, and a vial for blood.

"I'm going to give you your first lesson in phlebotomy."


End file.
